Sonia Gandhi was Congress President from 1998 to 2017 and from 2019 to 2022 (File).
New Delhi:
Congress matriarch Sonia Gandhi will stand down from the Lok Sabha this yr – 25 years after her first time period – abandoning an impeccable electoral file that’s all of the extra exceptional given her non-Indian origin and the circumstances of her entry to the nation’s unstable political panorama.
Ms Gandhi, 77, is not going to, nevertheless, withdraw from public life simply but; this isn’t a retirement however a repositioning, of types. She is going to transfer to the Rajya Sabha.
She filed her nomination papers from Jaipur in Rajasthan right now and can take over – the Congress has the numbers to ensure her election – the seat now held by former Prime Minister and get together stalwart Manmohan Singh, who could retire after a celebrated five-decade profession.
Sonia Gandhi contested her first election from the get together stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh and from Karnataka’s Bellary. She gained each. That was in 1999, eight years after her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, and he or she was persuaded to assist rescue the get together.
In 2004 she shifted to the Congress’ second UP stronghold – Raebareli.
The Congress chief has been ever-present since 1999, serving as a steadying and guiding drive for her get together, notably by way of the political and parliamentary turbulence of the previous decade.
In parliament and out of doors she usually let her colleagues take centre-stage, however the usually soft-spoken Ms Gandhi was able to sharp assaults, together with in September and December final yr, when she took the BJP head-on over the Girls’s Reservation Invoice, and the mass suspension of opposition MPs,
READ | On Girls’s Invoice, Sonia Gandhi, Kanimozhi Lead Cost
In 2018 she ripped into the federal government, declaring, ”… PM is excellent at lectures… however lectures can not fill stomachs. You want dal chawal. Lectures do not heal the sick… you want well being centres.”
And in 2015 too she threw down in opposition to Mr Modi, this time arguing in opposition to his ”many fraudulent guarantees about transparency” in a debate over key posts, like Chief Data Commissioner.
Ms Gandhi’s place as, maybe, the foremost opposition politician, additionally meant she was continuously the goal of assaults, notably given her Italian heritage, with many, together with now-ally Sharad Pawar, questioning her political credentials. That line of assault was usually employed by the BJP too.
She was, although, not often fazed, even when she was accused of ”mendacity” by a union minister in 2018.
The Raebareli Years
Ms Gandhi has held Raebareli since 2004, by no means polling beneath 55 per cent. She gained the seat even in 2014 and 2019, when the Congress was routed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, and held it even when Rahul Gandhi misplaced Amethi. And leaves (very) massive sneakers to fill for whomever the Congress fields from right here within the April/Might election.
Who that can be is unclear however there’s buzz one Gandhi can be changed by one other, and that it’s going to not be Rahul. There’s discuss Priyanka Gandhi Vadra – whose resemblance to grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi has been famous – is being readied for her long-awaited electoral debut.
Certainly, Mr Singh’s anticipated exit and Ms Gandhi’s predicted switch are solely two-thirds of this story, which, if accomplished to script, will sign a generational change within the Congress’ high management.
Priyanka Gandhi’s Entrance?
There has at all times been a ’will she, will not she’ air about Ms Gandhi Vadra’s political profession. And that has gathered tempo over the previous months, notably since her mom stepped into the Rajya Sabha.
5 years in the past – earlier than the 2019 election – Ms Gandhi Vadra, mentioned she was able to make her electoral debut at any time, and set tongues wagging after quipping ”why not” when requested if she would contest from UP’s Varanasi, a contest that would pitch her right into a head-to-head with Mr Modi.
READ | ”Why Not Varanasi,” Quips Priyanka Gandhi On Ballot Battle Request
That can be a step too far (for anybody) on their electoral debut. A better one could possibly be the possibility to contest from a Congress stronghold, with the burden of sentiment added to the voting draw.
NDTV is now obtainable on WhatsApp channels. Click on on the hyperlink to get all the newest updates from NDTV in your chat.