Even as there is no surety on Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, speculations are rife that if the parties join hands, then Gandhi scion Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and UP CM Akhilesh Yadav’s wife and Lok Sabha MP Dimple Yadav will come together to play larger roles in the campaign for polls.
Sources say that an alliance between the Akhilesh-led faction of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress is being worked out. Though both the women are not new to electoral politics, it is believed that this time it will be a bigger and more intense role for the two in the upcoming polls.
While both the political parties are pinning their hopes on the two women, the voters do not seem to be too excited over the news.
“I don’t think Dimple and Priyanka will be able to campaign well for the party. Akhilesh has always been at the front and he has done a lot of good work. Ideally, he should only campaign in order to win the elections,” said Shikhar Gupta, a B.Sc. student.
“Dimple Yadav and Priyanka Gandhi cannot influence people to vote for SP-Congress. Dimple is still known as Akhilesh’s wife and not as a political leader. Congress has lost the battle already, Priyanka Gandhi cannot do anything for the party now,” said Arpit Srivastava, a BBA student.
According to sources, the decision to rope in Dimple and Priyanka for campaigning has larger political calculations behind it. The SP and Congress leaders believe that Priyanka has a star value and has a sharp political sense and ability to connect with voters. On the other hand, Dimple’s conduct and behaviour attract women in both rural or urban areas.
“Public is smart enough to decide what is right and wrong. Priyanka and Dimple are not new faces. If the parties think that they can woo voters then they are wrong. If Samajwadi Party has to win the elections then Akhilesh will have to come forward and appeal for votes, and if Congress wants to revive itself then Rahul will have to do something rather than roping in his sister Priyanka,” said Mohit Shukla, a MCA student.
“Priyanka’s weak point is that Congress has failed completely and people know that except for Priyanka the Congress doesn’t have a face. Voters know that Priyanka will be brought in to woo them only and she won’t be able to make an impact. On the other hand, bringing in Dimple will only influence voters in her constituency and not in the state,” said a Law student.
While Akhilesh and Rahul together hope of reaping electoral gains through a “secular alliance”, can Priyanka and Dimple take the burden of an electoral campaign to beat the opposition parties and form a government in the state?
