A Tale of Two Citadels

The shifting political equations in the Congress bastions of Raebareli and Amethi are not easy to decode

- Tanul Thakur

ON the evening of May 8, in a nukkad sabha in Raebareli, dozens of empty chairs stare at Congress supporters on stage. A property stands to their Modi, stutters. A poet takes the mic and instructs the audience to pay attention, to clap, to egg him on. When nothing works, he heckles them. Nothing works.

Then, a name drops, and dhol beats rend the air. The seats fill; a crowd builds. Now there's no space to sit. So they stand-near the stage, behind the chairs, on the wall-and wait. Not long after, she arrives, wearing sneakers and salwar kameez. Everyone stands; many take their phones out-restless to hear, clap, roar. Priyanka Gandhi? Nope, they react as if stirred by a storm, Priyanka Aandhi.

Indian voters usually reserve such a reception for a famous politician, but she's never fought an election. She's here, as always, to campaign for her brother, Rahul. Even though the stars no longer align for the Congress-in the last election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 62 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 18 more than the former in the whole country-one constituency continues to glow, Raebareli. It's supported the Congress for decades, ensuring at least one seat in the country where the sun never sets on India's grand old party.