NEW DELHI: The Congress move to appoint Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as chairperson of the candidate screening committee for the upcoming Assam elections has added to the murmurs of leadership debate within the grand old party, with the BJP-led NDA claiming internal conflict between the Gandhi siblings. Soon after Priyanka’s elevation, which was announced on Sunday, the BJP claimed that the Congress was divided between camps of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. The Congress, as expected, strongly rejected these claims and slammed the BJP for spreading “manufactured propaganda.”BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, “The Rahul vs Priyanka camp has been going on for a very long time in the Congress party. All the pressure was exerted by the Rahul camp. ‘Remove Rahul, bring Priyanka’ is happening in Congress. Now even their allies don’t trust Rahul Gandhi. Their own leaders don’t want him; instead, they want Priyanka Gandhi.”The Janata Dal (United) also reacted to Priyanka’s appointment, claiming that Rahul Gandhi’s frequent foreign trips had shifted responsibilities to her.”It is expected that legislative assembly elections will be held in five states. The Congress’s internal matters are handled by a screening committee. Who will handle this work when Rahul Gandhi is abroad? The responsibility has fallen on Priyanka Gandhi. However, this is their internal matter,” JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said.
Congress dismisses ‘Rahul vs Priyanka’
The Congress has formally dismissed the NDA’s claims, insisting there is no Rahul vs Priyanka camp within the party.On Sunday, the party defended its decision to appoint AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as chairperson of the Assam screening committee, strongly criticising the BJP for attempting to “propagate” a false leadership contest narrative.The Congress asserted that this was not the first time Priyanka had been entrusted with such responsibilities, recalling that she had earlier served as an ex-officio member of the screening committee during the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.Congress MP Tariq Anwar told IANS, “Earlier, she was the general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh when assembly elections were held there. So we cannot say this is the first time. This is the second time she has been given charge of a state related to elections. She will use her political experience and capability in Assam. There is a strong possibility of a Congress comeback in Assam.””Priyanka Gandhi has been serving as general secretary for the past five years. She has been given organisational responsibilities from time to time and has worked across the country. Therefore, the notion propagated by the BJP is incorrect,” he added.Congress leader Udit Raj also defended Priyanka’s appointment, citing her “wide influence and experience”.Speaking to IANS, Raj said, “She is our leader and has been made chairperson of the Assam screening committee. Her influence is quite wide. She will oversee elections and make selections. She already has experience, and that experience will increase further.”
The great Rahul paradox
Rahul Gandhi’s position within the Congress is currently stronger than it has been at any point since his resignation as party president in 2019. After years of refusing formal office while leading high-visibility foot marches such as the Bharat Jodo Yatra (2022–23) and the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in early 2024, the Lok Sabha election results that year altered the equation.The Congress’s improved performance, winning 99 Lok Sabha seats and securing the Leader of the Opposition post, did something the party had struggled to achieve for a decade: it gave Rahul constitutional weight.That momentum, however, was not sustained.
Since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA staged a strong comeback, winning assembly elections in Haryana, Maharashtra, Delhi and Bihar.Rahul Gandhi led campaigns raising the ‘vote chori’ charge and spearheaded the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar, hoping to replicate the gains of his earlier mass movements.The narrative failed to resonate electorally, and the Congress emerged as the weakest link in the Bihar opposition, winning only six of the state’s 243 assembly seats.
Priyanka steps forward
At the same time, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has unmistakably moved out of the occasional-campaigner role. Once deployed sparingly for high-voltage rallies, she is now a constant presence, both in Parliament and on the streets.During the Winter Session of Parliament, the first-time MP from Wayanad assumed a leading role for the party. With a smile, she was seen patiently attacking the Modi government during the Vande Mataram debate.The Wayanad MP also was at the forefront when the opposition parties staged a walkout from Lok Sabha to protest against the VB-G RAM G Bill.She led the march within the Parliament premises while holding a photograph of Mahatma Gandhi.Despite Rahul Gandhi’s absence from Parliament, the Congress drew significant attention for its aggressive protests and Priyanka emerged as a prominent face of the party both inside and outside the House.At the end of the session, she also attended the customary tea meeting hosted by Speaker Om Birla and was seen chatting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders from across parties.
Whispers within the chambers
Though there has been no formal resolution, several reports have quoted “voices within the Congress” urging a larger organisational role for Priyanka, including suggestions that she could serve as party president or national face.After Rahul’s resignation as Congress chief, former MP Abhijit Mukherjee, son of former President Pranab Mukherjee, openly appealed for Priyanka to take over, saying she should heed the “clarion call of lakhs of Congress workers”.Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Anil Shastri has also said Priyanka Gandhi would be the best person to lead the party.Over time, and following successive assembly election losses, these whispers have grown louder.In December, former Odisha MLA Mohammed Moquim wrote to Sonia Gandhi questioning the current leadership and explicitly seeking a “greater central role” for Priyanka.MP Imran Masood has also pushed for her elevation, arguing, “Make her the Prime Minister and see how she responds, just like Indira Gandhi did,” signalling that she should be the party’s main face and de facto leader.
What next?
Internal conflict or not, the specific role given to Priyanka in Assam elections does give credence to talks of her eventual elevation within the party. It is an important move in a politically sensitive state which the Congress hopes to wrest from the BJP. The Congress would hope that Priyanka’s greater involvement in the state elections will help to counter BJP’s ‘double-engine government’ campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.With the Congress till now projecting Rahul Gandhi as its only face, any greater role for Priyanka cannot be dismissed as a routine organisational decision. The move comes amid wider discussions on leadership, strategy and the future direction of the opposition camp.The final verdict, however, will come from voters, and not from whispers or internal demands. In the 2021 assembly elections, the BJP won 60 seats with 33.6% vote share and the Congress got 29 seats with 30% vote share.What happens in Assam over the next few months, as the state prepares to elect a new government this year, may play a role in shaping the future of the Congress leadership and also the Gandhi siblings. Go to Source