Congress All Set To Pitch Priyanka Gandhi Against PM Narendra Modi In Himachal Elections

With Rahul Gandhi already busy on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ for the last one month, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is all set to take command of the party’s campaign in Himachal Pradesh.

She is expected to counter Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his self-coined catchline of “Himachal ka Beta” to strike an emotional chord with people of the state.

With no big star campaigner in sight to match Modi’s charisma and his ‘double-engine’ narrative, the Congress poll managers have decided to hard sell her Shimla connections –her two-storey cottage at Chharabra near  ‘The Retreat’, the President of India’s holiday resort.

Necessary land approvals for the cottage by relaxing provisions of Section 118 of Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972 were given by the earlier Congress government led by Virbhadra Singh during 2006-07.

Later, two other patches contiguous to previously bought pieces, were approved by successive Prem Kumar Dhumal government in a same manner- bending the existing laws.

The cottage has come up in the highly protected zone where the earlier government had denied permissions to the natives citing security reasons as being in the vicinity of the President’s holiday resort.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi are frequent visitors to the house but they kept all their vacations as ‘private’ affairs shutting them off the political or public interactions.

But assembly elections being crucial to the Congress’s sinking fortunes in the country, and high hopes on next Lok Sabha polls, the party proposes to project Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as star campaigner and give the BJP a run in the polls.

On October 14, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is stated to hold her first public rally at Solan, one of strong holds of Congress where the party not only had won an assembly bypoll at Arki; rather got its first mayor elected. Preparations are already underway despite the party finding it difficult to match the BJP in resources to spend on its first show of strength as the case being for Modi at Bilaspur on October 4.

“She will hold a series of rallies after Solan even as schedule for other star campaigners are also getting finalised by the party,” leader of opposition Mukesh Agnihotri told Outlook over phone from Delhi--where he has been called for party's screening committee meeting for finalisation of tickets for the Congress caniddates.

Earlier the rally was proposed for October 10 but was postponed to October 14 as party leaders wanted time for mobilisation of workers and resources.

The question, however, remains if she would be able to match the kind of connection with the people of Himachal Pradesh as Modi enjoys due to his earlier stint as party in-charge between 1996-2000. Priyanka Gandhi could not make a dent in Uttar Pradesh where she had campaigned extensively in the March 2022 polls. 

Till now, Modi has paid three visits to the state—the latest being for launching development and infrastructure projects worth Rs 3,650 crores in the home town of BJP National President J P Nadda. The Rs 1470 crores AIIMS project for which Modi had laid foundation stone in 2017 is part of these bundle of projects.

His presence at historic Kullu Dussehra— an internationally acclaimed festival dating back to 16^th century has brought him really close to the hearts of people in Kullu. The natives of Kullu have immense faith in the deity culture. Modi’s decision to become part of the Dussehra celebrations in the election year was compulsively political.

Not leaving it here, Modi will come the state once again at Chamba on October 13 to address the party's rally at historic ‘Chamba Chaugan’ ,which has been mentioned in folk legends, apart from being a venue of annual ‘Minjar fair’. 

He will also launch three hydro-power projects in Chamba--one of the country's 117 aspirational districts due to lack of developed infrastructure and backwardness. 

Confirming about the rally, the Congress President Pratibha Singh said it's going to be a major success as the people of the state have made-up their minds for a change. There is a trend of alternating the governments and people will certainly vote for the change again, Singh added.

A three-time MP Singh alleges that the AIIMS project launched by the Prime Minister was the contribution of Virbhadra Singh, not the BJP or Modi ji. They are just trying to hoodwink the people on such projects including the Rohtang Tunnel, a foundation stone for which was laid by Sonia Gandhi ji.

“The congress party will give a befitting answer to the BJP at Solan Rally on October 14 and expose all its falsehood. The people are fed-up with the BJP. There is so much inflation, unemployment and failures. The BJP is taking credit for all projects started under Virbhadra Singh. It was his vision to make world-class health care facilities and road communication,” avers Singh.

There are only a few days left for the Election Commission of India (ECI) to announce the election schedule for two poll-bound states of Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. The Election Commission (EC) team have already visited Shimla and reviewed the arrangements for elections.

News are abound that the Commission will declare the dates just after Modi's visit to the state. The BJP is also getting ready for Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s two-day tour starting from October 15.

BJP national President J P Nadda is arriving on October 9 for his second visit within a week.