New Delhi: Having suffered yet another rout in Delhi, the Congress has called for introspection and “urgent action”. But does it mean business this time? One indicator of its seriousness, of course, is the upcoming organizational reshuffle. The other would be the next batch of leaders it sends to the Rajya Sabha.
Tenures of several senior leaders, including Ambika Soni, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Digvijaya Singh, are due to end soon, and the Congress will fill these vacancies from the quota allowed to Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.
While one question is whether the party will fall back on the old guard or bring in a generational shift, speculation is also intense on the possibility of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra being brought into the Upper House. Leaders in Chhattisgarh have reportedly offers to back her entry to the house of elders.
But the party is well aware that such a move will be a double-edged sword. While it may be a good strategy to have Rahul Gandhi lead the charge against ruling BJP in the Lok Sabha and Priyanka in the Rajya Sabha, it would leave the Congress open to shriller accusations of dynasty politics.
The party would also have to consider whether a Rajya Sabha nomination would weaken her campaign in Uttar Pradesh politics or add weight to it politically.
However, with party sources saying no decision has been taken yet, the speculation could turn out to be a damp squib just like reports of Priyanka Gandhi challenging PM Narendra Modi from Varanasi constituency in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Among the senior leaders, leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad is almost certain to be nominated again. But waiting in the wings are leaders like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Karuna Shukla, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
A Rajya Sabha ticket to even one of them would signal an intent to change. And Priyanka’s entry would be icing on the cake.
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