Sonia Gandhi in Varanasi: On Narendra Modi's turf, Cong determined to make a point

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home constituency Varanasi, for a change or at least for a day, is shining with Congress colours. Congress’ external poll strategist Prashant Kishor has ensured that Sonia Gandhi’s posters, banners, welcome arches and gates are seen everywhere in the city and her road show on Tuesday becomes a talking point, on whatever merit. Congress poll campaign in the politically crucial Hindi heartland state goes with the punch line 27 saal, UP Behal (No progress in UP for 27 years). Most posters and banners has this catchphrase. Interestingly, Prashant Kishor has borrowed this pre-poll catchphrase from BJP’s 2005 Bihar election campaign: 15 saal, bura haal, hitting at the Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rabri Devi regime, when the state had irreparably suffered. That had yielded good dividend to the BJP-JD(U) combine. The Congress and Kishor would be hoping that this tried and tested catchphrase in Bihar works for them in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. Beyond borrowing that punch line with slight modification, there is an obvious problem with their strategy. Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday will lead a road show in Varanasi to push chief ministerial candidature of her 78-year old party nominee Sheila Dikshit. [caption id=“attachment_2926154” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Sonia Gandhi. PTI[/caption] The timing of it could not be worse for the Congress. It comes a day after BJP’s Gujarat Chief Minister (also a woman) resigned on high moralistic pretext, at least that’s what is for public consumption, that she is turning 75 in November and should thus retire from active politics and high pressure post. Contrast Anandiben’s position with Sheila Dikshit. Anandiben retires ahead of turning 75, Sheila is forced to return from retirement at the age of 78 to lead the Congress campaign in a state as big and complex as UP with the biggest Assembly of 404 members. The BJP is sure to use this as a handle to hit at Congress. Sheila’s advance age and diminished performance in the last Delhi Assembly election when she lost in her own constituency and ultimately reduced party to a zero in Assembly is troubling many Congress men and women. A party leader had raised Sheila’s age question before Rahul Gandhi in Lucknow and the Congress vice-president took a long a walk, up and down to explain how he thought Sheila was Congress personified and would do same in UP what she did in Delhi. He even picked up a chair from the podium and put that few yards ahead of the rest saying that was her chair, symbolic ruler’s throne for UP. It’s a different matter though that soon after Sheila and a host of other senior leaders concerned with UP campaign were packed in a bus to Kanpur, a yatra flagged off by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, Sheila Dikshit had fallen sick and had to return to her posh Delhi home for rest and medical check-up. Same question could trouble Sonia when she lands in Varanasi. But Congress leadership has decided to take that in stride. Kishor and Congress strategy is to make news, for now. A continued publicity, media and word of mouth would make them relevant in some areas at a time when it is facing an existential crisis in the state. That is precisely the reason why she chose to land in Varanasi for the road show. Remember this is UP Assembly election and the Congress party should ideally have been fighting against incumbent Samajwadi Party. She should thus have considered going to Mulayam Singh Yadav’s home turf, Saifai or Etawah or any of its neighbouring areas. But that couldn’t have given the kind of publicity Congress and Kishor would want. More so, Congress would have faced difficult times mobilizing people in Mulayam’s home turf. In any case, it would perhaps have been beneath Congress’s president aura to take on a regional satrap. The Congress’ first family can’t be seen to be confronting anyone less than a prime minister. Also, local MLA Ajay Rai has a strong presence in the region. Rai has been told to show pull all his gears and his strength for Sonia from airport itself. During parliamentary election, he had mobilized good crowd for Rahul Gandhi’s road show in Varanasi, though none of that turned into votes. Former MP Rajesh Mishra too has influence in some pockets and was a contender for state Congress president. He too could add some numbers to crowd in the lanes of this holy city. That way Congress can boast that Sonia had a successful road show in Modi’s turf and also claim total dissatisfaction against Modi. If Congress is hoping that Sheila Dikshit’s Brahmin surname which she got after her marriage with noted Brahmin Congress leader Uma Shankar Dikshit would work magic on this influential community, then Sonia is going a step forward to woo the community – conclude her road show with garlanding of Kamlapati Tripathi’s statue. At a time when Dalits are flavour of political discourse, Sonia would begin her road show after rest at circuit house from paying a tribute to BR Ambedkar. She will go to Kachhari to garland his statue and begin her yatra. The Congress would hope that by garlanding statues of Ambedkar and Kamlapati Tripathi, Dalit and Brahmin social constituency has been taken care off. There is a soft Hindutva tinge also in Sonia road show. She will also head to Dasaswamedh to do puja at Baba Vishwanath temple. The city after all runs in Baba Vishwanath’s name and Sonia too would need his blessing to halt Congress’s downward slide, or reverse of fortune.