Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to make her debut in the electoral front, as the party decides to have Rahul Gandhi vacate his Wayanad Lok Sabha seat for her to contest in the by-election. Rahul will continue to serve as the Member of Parliament for Rae Bareli. It is noteworthy that in the recent Lok Sabha elections, he contested from both Rae Bareli and Wayanad, securing resounding victories by a substantial margin of votes. During the last general elections, he fought from both seats but faced defeat in Amethi at the hands of Smriti Irani. He made his way to the parliament with a win from Wayanad in 2019.
In Priyanka Gandhi's political journey thus far, the upcoming by-election marks her first plunge into electoral politics. Until now, her role has been mostly behind the scenes, working within the party organization. She is also a member of the powerful Congress Working Committee. Priyanka's first significant involvement in politics was during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections, participating actively in the campaign. She rallied in dozens of parliamentary constituencies. In the 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, as Rahul Gandhi took charge of the statewide campaign, Priyanka focused specifically on the 10 seats in the Amethi-Rae Bareli region.
Steering clear of frontline politics for over a decade, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shied away from active politics for about a decade and a half, closely overseeing Congress activities in Uttar Pradesh. During this time, she played a pivotal role in assisting the campaigns of her mother Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli and her brother Rahul in Amethi. In the 2017 assembly elections, where Congress allied with the Samajwadi Party (SP), Priyanka was instrumental in bringing together the two 'sons' (Akhilesh and Rahul), with the slogan 'UP favours this brotherly duo' used prominently throughout the campaign.
The alliance, however, did not succeed as expected. The BJP, along with its allies, won 325 seats, with BJP's own tally at 312. SP and Congress were reduced to 47 and 7 seats respectively. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Priyanka played a significant role in incorporating the SP into the India alliance. SP won 37 seats, whereas Congress managed to win 6 Lok Sabha seats. Priyanka formally entered active politics when she was appointed the General Secretary of Congress for the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh on January 23, 2019. On September 11, 2020, she was appointed the in-charge of the whole state of Uttar Pradesh.
Source: aajtak
Often active primarily in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
was detained twice by UP Police in October 2021. Her first detention happened en route to Lakhimpur Kheri, where protestors were allegedly crushed under vehicles from the convoy of a central minister's son. She and several other party leaders were held for 50 hours in a PAC guest house at Sitapur. During her second detention, citing the enforcement of Section 144 of CrPC, the UP police took her into custody while she was on her way to Agra to meet family members of an individual who allegedly died in police custody.
Under Priyanka's leadership, Congress contested the 2022 UP elections
where in January 2022, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched the Congress's manifesto alongside her brother Rahul for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The manifesto focused on development, youth, and women's empowerment, including a promise to allocate 40% of tickets to female candidates. Emphasizing the vote and participation of women in politics, she initiated the 'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon' campaign in the state. Despite her concerted efforts to revitalize the party in Uttar Pradesh, Congress endured a crushing defeat in the 2022 UP Assembly elections, securing only 2 seats out of 403.
The personal life of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Priyanka Gandhi is a member of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that wields considerable influence in Indian politics. She is the daughter of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, sister to Rahul Gandhi, and granddaughter of Feroze and Indira Gandhi. India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was her great-grandfather. Priyanka was born on January 12, 1972. She is also a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. Priyanka married businessman Robert Vadra in 1997 and they have two children – a son and a daughter. She completed her school education at Welham Girls School, Dehradun until 1984. Later, for security reasons, she, along with her brother Rahul, was moved to a day school in Delhi. After continued terrorist threats following the assassination of Indira Gandhi, they were home-schooled. She subsequently attended Delhi's Convent of Jesus and Mary School. Priyanka graduated in Psychology from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi, and went on to earn a master's degree in Buddhist studies in 2010.
