Congress’s upper hand rests on Priyanka. Hubli News – Times of India

Hubli: With less than two weeks left for the assembly elections, all major parties are busy campaigning, showcasing their star power to the best of their ability to attract crowds at rallies and roadshows.
As far as the Congress is concerned, the party heavily relies on the presence of former national president Rahul Gandhi, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and party’s state unit chief DK Shivakumar in almost all its public relations and campaigning programmes. However, along with these heavyweights, the grand old party is also banking on another name: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the party’s national general secretary, who has been roped in by the state leadership to add more to the Congress campaign.
After the party’s good showing in the assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh earlier this year, most Congress leaders did not rush to praise Priyanka, as it was she who spearheaded the party’s campaign. According to a section of political observers, Priyanka’s presence is also likely to have a significant impact on the vote share of the Congress in Karnataka, with women forming a major component of the party’s support base.
BJP leaders are not giving much importance to the presence of Rahul and Priyanka in the state and believe that it will not affect BJP’s prospects, Congress functionaries think otherwise.
Priyanka Gandhi has proved her skill and capability by leading the Himachal Pradesh elections. As he is very dynamic, proactive and aware of all relevant issues, the Congress is now heavily dependent on him to reach out to voters after Rahul and the state leaders,” said Shakir Sanadi, general secretary of the party’s state unit. ,
“There is a good response from women voters to Priyanka’s appeal. She will campaign in all the constituencies where the party has fielded women candidates and also in those where the BJP dominates.
Interestingly, the BJP is not far behind when it comes to wooing women voters, with Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Smriti Irani being roped in for the party’s campaign.
Some of the recent pre-poll surveys have predicted a good performance for the Congress. The Congress leadership is leaving no stone unturned to maintain the perceived positive mood among the voters. The attempt to capitalize on Priyanka’s charisma is in line with that.
Congress sources said Priyanka is scheduled to visit Nawalgund and Kundagol in Dharwad district and Jamkhandi in Bagalkot district on April 29. She will also visit several other constituencies of the state in the next ten days.
While Rahul began with his Bharat Jodo tour and also launched an aggressive campaign pitch to woo Lingayat voters in north Karnataka, it is now sister Priyanka’s turn to take over from him and ensure that there is no let up in the momentum Are.
The experienced Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have already done the groundwork, covering around 112 constituencies under ‘Prajadhwani’ programmes. Now the Congress hopes that Priyanka will step on the gas.
Shobha Ojha, former national president of the Congress women’s wing, said Priyanka’s presence would inspire women voters to support the Congress. “Raising other issues like price rise, unemployment, corruption by the BJP, she is striking a chord with the common people in the state, which will help the party win more seats,” Ojha said.
With her rallies and meetings in Mysuru and Chitradurga and her promise to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Kadu Golla community, if the Congress is voted to power again, Priyanka has already won some respect among a section of voters. Generated positive energy. The huge turnout at his recent meetings is bound to keep the Congress rank and file in Karnataka energized, though how much that actually translates into votes remains to be seen.