The Shiv Sena on Wednesday said voters would see Indira Gandhi in Priyanka Gandhi Vadra when they go out to vote, PTI reported. Vadra, the granddaughter of the former prime minister, formally joined the Congress earlier in the day as a regional general secretary in Uttar Pradesh.
“The party will benefit from her good personality, her ways of presenting herself and her ability to strike a chord with the voters,” Shiv Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande told the news agency. “She has the qualities of her grandmother.”
Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Nawab Malik said Vadra’s entry in politics would enthuse party workers and the Congress would reap “special benefits” in Uttar Pradesh.
The Congress will easily win 20-21 seats in the state in the upcoming General Elections if it “plays intelligently using Priyanka’s charm”, he added. The Congress won just two seats in the state in 2014.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has said Vadra’s appointment is an indication of the Congress’ failure on all fronts, and accused the party of practising dynastic politics.
Former political strategist and Janata Dal (United) leader Prashant Kishor, meanwhile, told ANI on Thursday that Vadra should be given two to three years before people can decide if she is capable of taking on responsibilities.
“If we think that any person, be it Priyanka Gandhi or anyone, can bring about a major change in one of the oldest parties in a limited time span won’t be fair,” he said, adding that it was premature to think she could pose challenge to Narendra Modi as a prime ministerial choice.
On Wednesday, Kishor had described Vadra’s appointment as “one of the most awaited entries in Indian politics”. The JD(U) is an ally of the BJP.
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