AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, after her successful election campaigns in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, is now amongst the lead campaigners for the Congress for the coming assembly elections, besides party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi.
Soon after the elections in Karnataka got over in May, Priyanka held a rally in neighbouring Telangana. In Karnataka, her campaign was based on giving guarantees to the voters about what would be done for them when the Congress came to power. She also made a special effort to reach out to women voters. A similar format of campaign is being followed by her in her outreach for the coming round of elections.
As soon as the campaign in Karnataka got over, Priyanka was in Hyderabad, where she addressed a 'Yuva Sangharsh Rally'. Playing up the comparisons being made between her and her grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi, she said, “When all of you say that I am the new Indira Amma, it fills my heart with a great sense of responsibility. And I cannot stand here in front of you and make false promises.”
She launched the Congress' campaign in Madhya Pradesh on June 12 by addressing a mega rally in Jabalpur, where she announced five guarantees that would be fulfilled by the party if it was voted to power in the state. The five guarantees are: Rs 1,500 every month for women, LPG cylinders at Rs 500, restoration of the old pension scheme, 100 units of power for free and completion of the loan waiver scheme for farmers. On July 21, she addressed a rally in Gwalior, the stronghold of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was seen as amongst the few leaders who had direct access to the Gandhi family, but who has joined the BJP.
Addressing a rally in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, on Thursday, Priyanka said the Narendra Modi government had played a joke on women by not implementing reservation for them in the legislatures for ten years. She also appealed to the young voters, saying this time, their vote should be for employment.
That she was attempting a balancing act in Rajasthan was evident as she campaigned in Tonk, the assembly constituency of former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot, but the focus of the visit was on amplifying the schemes of the Ashok Gehlot government. She inaugurated 1,000 Indira Rasois which provide food to the people at highly subsidised rates. She also met the beneficiaries of the scheme for giving free smartphones to women.
In Chhattisgarh, she addressed a 'Mahila Samridhi Sammelan' in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh on September 21. The focus of the event was on the policies of the Congress government in the state that were meant for women.