General secretary Priyanka is tasked with reviving the UP unit for the 2022 assembly polls. Rahul holds no party post. His challenges: shedding his ‘non-serious’ image and presenting himself as a credible alternative to the Modi-Shah duo; proving that the Congress can run without a Nehru-Gandhi at the helm; spelling out a clear Congress ideology.
IF furious outbursts on Twitter could help political parties bounce back from electoral ignominy, the shattered Opposition would have, by now, scripted a historic come back. On a high from its unprecedented 303 seats in the Lok Sabha polls, the ruling BJP, however, shows no signs of complacency, drafting new members, flagging off yatras in pollbound states like Maha rashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand, and wrecking rivals with a perpetual poaching campaign. By contrast, over three months after they were left with more than a bloody nose at the hustings, the many political heirs apparent— Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Tejashwi Yadav, Akhilesh Yad av, H.D. Kumara swamy et al— who, until six months ago, were projected by their respec tive parties as the leaders to look out for, have been largely missing from the scene.
This story is from the September 16, 2019 edition of Outlook.
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This story is from the September 16, 2019 edition of Outlook.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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