THE Congress party’s twin challenge in Rae Bareli and Amethi Lok Sabha Constituencies in Uttar Pradesh is being braved by a new star campaigner -- Mrs. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra. In this double battle, the Gandhi family appears to have steeled itself for what can be described as one of the most critical electoral and political battles of recent years. For, what is at stake is its prestige as the leader-family of the Congress party. That is the reason why Mrs. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra has taken a headlong plunge into the battle royal. This has made the electoral contest in the two constituencies extremely interesting. In Rae Bareli, Mr. Rahul Gandhi is trying his luck -- against his own lost prestige. In Amethi, the Gandhi family has pitted its loyalist Mr. Kishori Lal Sharma against the very formidable Mrs. Smriti Irani of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Mrs. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra’s headlong plunge into the campaign demonstrates how critical the Gandhi family thinks the battle has become. The extent of Mrs. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra’s engagement has made the Rae Bareli-Amethi battle all the more critical to the Congress party’s dwindling political fortunes. In other words, the battle -- in Amethi in particular -- is being considered a direct confrontation between the direct candidature of Mrs. Smriti Irani and and indirect candidature of Mrs. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra.

 

There is no doubt whatsoever that these two Constituencies are going to be the most-watched encounters of the current Lok Sabha elections, possibly drawing far greater popular attention than the electoral contest in Varanasi where Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi is seeking re-election for the third time in a row. These two contests, thus, will become epicentre of an independent chapter in the election book of 2024. For, Mrs, Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra, the Rae Bareli-Amethi challenge is going to assume the importance of fight for survival in politics. In the previous elections in Uttar Pradesh (Lok Sabha or Vidhan Sabha), Mrs. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra had drawn a great blank, thereby earning countless negative epithets. She appears to fight to erase those black marks on her political report card. If she fails to cast her positive influence in these two contests, Mrs. Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra’s career may come in jeopardy. Hence her intense engagement in the two key places. For Mrs. Smriti Irani, the Amethi contest may actually be a no-contest of sorts -- in the sense she has won the people’s hearts in the area, thanks to her relentless efforts and restless energy to serve the people of her area and their causes. Her engagement in Amethi is so deep that she even bought a house in the town and is, thus, an official resident of there.

 

This has made each of her moves look like a personalised handling of different issues. All the connect of Mrs. Smriti Irani in Amethi, thus, has stemmed from the fact that one of her postal addresses is located in the place. The conduct of the members of the Gandhi family -- in both places, Rae Bareli and Amethi -- provides a sharp contrast. The Gandhi family has done nothing of the sort. It has remained only distantly connected with Rae Bareli and Amethi and is accused of not having done anything precious and special for the two areas in the past so many years during which they represented the two places in Parliament. Though we will have to wait for June 4 for the final verdict, experts suspect that the Gandhis may lose at both places -- Rae Bareli and Amethi. That puts Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s political career at great stake. For, if he loses both -- Waynad in Kerala, and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, then Mr. Gandhi will nowhere to go in the immediate and distant future.