Priyanka Gandhi likely to get larger role in Congress ahead of state and LS polls

Priyanka Gandhi. Credit: PTI Photo

With speculation about recasting Congress organisational team at national level, party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi is expected to get a larger role as she has indicated to the leadership that she is not keen to continue just as in-charge of Uttar Pradesh.

Priyanka, sources said, had put in her papers in October last year before Mallikarjun Kharge took over as president. She had submitted her resignation to then party chief Sonia Gandhi after a new team was put in place in Uttar Pradesh following the Assembly election debacle.

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However, Priyanka’s resignation was not accepted and she has been continuing as party in-charge. After Kharge took over as president, all General Secretaries and in-charges submitted their resignations but that also was not accepted.

With Kharge readying to set up his own team, Priyanka is expected to get a bigger responsibility officially. Sources said Priyanka may be eyeing a bigger role in the election campaign, especially with five states going to polls later this year and Lok Sabha in April-May next year.

Sources said it is clear that she is unlikely to continue as the Uttar Pradesh in-charge. She played a big role in the party’s victory in Himachal Pradesh and later extensively campaigned in Karnataka along with Kharge and top leader Rahul Gandhi.

She has also been active in Chhattisgarh where she launched the campaign earlier this year while she is scheduled to visit Madhya Pradesh next Monday, which is dubbed as the Congress launch of the campaign for the year-end election there. The Telangana unit has also invited her to be part of the campaign.

If Rahul remains disqualified to contest election for Lok Sabha then Priyanka’s profile is likely to get a boost as she may be persuaded to contest the General Election.

While it is certain that Priyanka will have a place in the new Congress Working Committee (CWC), it is to be seen whether she would be assigned the duty to head election management. The Udaipur Chintan Shivir had decided to set up an election department but it has not been set up so far.