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Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will create her own legacy and her own stuff. At present, his slate is cleaner than Rahul’s. And this should be counted as a benefit
While Rahul remained silent during the inauguration of Ram temple in Ayodhya, Priyanka wrote a celebratory post. (PTI photo)
Nature can be heartless. And one of its cruelest laws is that two species competing for the same limited resources or reward cannot live together, even if they are families. Whoever has the slightest edge will eventually dominate and push the other into oblivion.
This is called the competitive exclusion principle, which exists within the framework of Darwin’s theory of natural selection.
The same principle was applied within the Congress party when Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contested and got elected in the Wayanad by-election after the seat was vacated by her brother Rahul Gandhi, who also won the Rae Bareli seat in the 2024 general elections.
The implication of this passage is not that brothers and sisters are already embracing each other or that their mutual affection has ended. It simply stands to reason that right now there are two clear power centers in the Congress (whether the party officially admits it or not), and ultimately only one will prevail. When siblings disagree on a topic or decision, the cadre must inevitably choose a side. Which one, that’s the question.
Rahul Gandhi has some proven strengths. He has been in political life for two decades. He has lost many battles but has also won some. Although the Congress still does not have even 100 seats in the Lok Sabha and rules only in Karnataka, Telangana and Himachal as the senior partner, Rahul is credited with restricting Narendra Modi’s BJP to 240 in the 2024 parliamentary elections. is given, which is quite low. simple majority.
He is seen as extremely combative, endearing him to a large section of minorities who see Modi’s march as a majoritarian threat.
Although Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was appointed Congress General Secretary of Eastern UP in the 2019 general elections, her electoral debut has already taken place in 2024. He won in Wayanad by a margin of 4,10,931 votes, higher than the margin of 3,64,422 votes that Rahul had won the same year.
But still, Wayanad is a Muslim-dominated seat, the Congress is in alliance with the All India Muslim League in Kerala and Rahul has laid the groundwork for its victory there.
Therefore, Priyanka lacks electoral experience. Some Congress insiders say she can be temperamental: overly kind one moment, recklessly angry the next. They say Rahul has more likability and party workers largely see him as a decent person.
She also adopts the surname ‘Vadra’, which is associated with several serious corruption allegations by her husband Robert.
But in Priyanka’s favor, she does not have the staggering burden of Rahul’s defeat and ridicule by her opponents. Whenever the political flashing lights shone on her, she looked visibly more comfortable.
A person close to the family once said in a private conversation, “Apart from her looks, Priyanka has extremely manipulative tendencies reminiscent of her grandmother Indira Gandhi, which is an asset in politics.”
Priyanka also has a better shot at nationalist Hindu votes, which have largely been alienated from the Congress because of Rahul’s open minoritism, and have aligned with those she finds anti-India, especially during her foreign trips. Seen as Islamist or deep state elements.
While Rahul remained silent during the inauguration of Ram temple in Ayodhya, Priyanka wrote a celebratory post.
Even with great demographic distortions, it is impossible to rise to power in India without the support of a large section of Hindus who see you as at least neutral rather than fiercely adversary.
Priyanka will create her own legacy and her own stuff. At present, his slate is cleaner than Rahul’s slate. And this should be counted as a benefit.
Within a few years, it is likely to be clear who the party is – from the senior leadership to worker On the ground – bends towards. Much will depend on who is more successful, builds a larger social coalition and takes people along.
This competitive boycott will have far-reaching consequences for India’s largest opposition party as well as the country’s politics in general.
Abhijeet Majumdar is a senior journalist. The views expressed in the above excerpt are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of News18.