New Delhi:

Congress matriarch Sonia Gandhi will quickly not be a member of the Lok Sabha – 25 years after her first time period – with 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, nonetheless, 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 Rajasthan at the moment 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.

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Sonia Gandhi contested her first election from the get together stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh and from Karnataka’s Bellary. She received each. That was in 1999, eight years after her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated, and she or he 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, significantly by the political and parliamentary turbulence of the previous decade.

In parliament and outdoors she typically 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,

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In 2018 she ripped into the federal government, declaring, “… PM is superb at lectures… however lectures can’t 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 often the goal of assaults, significantly given her Italian heritage, with many, together with now-ally Sharad Pawar, questioning her political credentials. That line of assault was typically employed by the BJP too.

She was, although, hardly ever 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 received the seat even in 2004 and 2009, when the Congress was routed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, and held it even when Rahul Gandhi misplaced Amethi. And leaves (very) large footwear to fill for whomever the Congress fields from right here within the April/Might election.

Who that shall be is unclear however there’s buzz one Gandhi shall be changed by one other, and that it’ll not be Rahul. There’s speak 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’ prime management.

Priyanka Gandhi’s Entrance?

There has all the time been a ‘will she, will not she’ air about Ms Gandhi Vadra’s political profession. And that has gathered tempo over the previous months, significantly 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 might pitch her right into a head-to-head with Mr Modi.

READ | “Why Not Varanasi,” Quips Priyanka Gandhi On Ballot Battle Request

That shall be a step too far (for anybody) on their electoral debut. A better one might be the possibility to contest from a Congress stronghold, with the burden of sentiment added to the voting draw.

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