People to watch out for: Congress to depend more on Rahul, Priyanka

New Delhi: The year 2020 will again see the rise of Rahul Gandhi in Congress circles while his sister Priyanka Gandhi will be more active in Uttar Pradesh politics.

As it is expected, Rahul Gandhi is likely to take over as the party President again this year, as there are demands for his elevation to the top post from different quarters within the party. Interim party chief Sonia Gandhi too wants Rahul Gandhi to take charge.

Despite not being at the helm of party affairs, Rahul Gandhi has remained the face of Congress campaigns. He has also been in the forefront in attacking the government on different issues.

The Congress is missing a fighter at the top of the party structure and Rahul Gandhi might just turn out to be the man for the moment.

Though she led the Congress ‘Satyagraha’ against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at the Raj Ghat in the national capital recently, Sonia Gandhi has not been an active part of party campaigns of late.

Also, Rahul Gandhi has been promoting young leaders within the party and was instrumental in finalising the ministerial positions in Maharashtra, inducting quite a few young faces.

Meanwhile, Priyanka Gandhi has taken Uttar Pradesh politics by surprise by confronting the Yogi Adityanath-led government on different issues, including the Sonbhadra agitation and the police brutality against anti-CAA protesters.

Priyanka Gandhi is likely to give more time to Uttar Pradesh, a state where the Congress is out of power since 1989 and desperately needs a charismatic leader.

The first test for Priyanka Gandhi will be in 2022 when the state goes to the polls. Before that, the Congress, and Priyanka Gandhi in particular, with get an opportunity to build a support base during the panchayat elections scheduled this year.

Though Priyanka Gandhi’s appearance in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls didn’t quite yield desired results for the party, she will continue to remain in spotlight in 2020.