Opinion | Rahul Or Priyanka, Which Gandhi Will Ultimately Prevail In Congress?
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will create her own legacy, and her own baggage. Right now, her slate is cleaner than Rahul’s. And that should count as an advantage
Nature can be heartless. And one of its most cruel laws is that two species competing for the same limited resources or reward cannot coexist, even if they are family. The one with the slightest edge will eventually dominate and push the other into oblivion.
It is called the competitive exclusion principle, which exists within the folds of Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection.
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This very principle was put into play within the Congress party when Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contested and was elected in the Wayanad bypolls after the seat was vacated by her brother Rahul Gandhi, who had also won the Rae Bareilly seat in the 2024 general elections.
This piece is not to suggest that the siblings are already at each other’s throats or their mutual affection has eroded. It simply argues that there are two clear power centres in Congress right now (whether the party officially admits it or not), and ultimately only one will prevail. When the siblings disagree on a subject or decision, the cadre will inevitably have to choose a side. Which one, is the question.
Rahul Gandhi has some proven strengths. He has been in political life for two decades now. He has lost many battles but also won some. Although the Congress still does not have even 100 seats in the Lok Sabha and rules solely or as the senior partner in just Karnataka, Telangana, and Himachal, Rahul is credited with restricting Narendra Modi’s BJP to 240 in 2024 parliamentary elections, well below under a simple majority.
He is seen as extremely combative, which endears him to a large section of minorities who see the march of Modi as a majoritarian threat.
Although Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was appointed Congress general secretary of East UP in the 2019 general elections, 2024 has been her electoral debut. She entered convincingly, winning Wayanad by a margin of 4,10,931 votes, higher than the margin of 3,64,422 votes by which Rahul won in the same year.
But then, Wayanad is a Muslim-dominated seat, the Congress is in alliance with the All India Muslim League in Kerala, and Rahul has done the groundwork for her victory there.
So, Priyanka lacks electoral experience. Some Congress insiders say she can be temperamental: touchingly compassionate at one moment, recklessly brusque at another. They say Rahul has more equanimity, and is largely viewed by party workers as a decent man.
She also lugs the ‘Vadra’ surname around, associated with many serious accusations of corruption by her husband Robert.
But in Priyanka’s favour, she does not have Rahul’s staggering baggage of defeats and ridicule by opponents. She has been visibly more comfortable whenever the political strobe lights swung on to her.
“Besides her looks, Priyanka has an extremely manipulative streak reminiscent of her grandmother Indira Gandhi, which is an asset in politics," a person close to the family once said in a private conversation.
Priyanka also has a better shot at the nationalistic Hindu vote which has largely deserted the Congress because of Rahul’s overt minoritism, and mingling with those seen as anti-India, Islamist or Deep State elements, especially during his overseas trips.
While Rahul was silent during the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Priyanka wrote a celebratory post.
Even with much demographic distortion, it is impossible to rise to power in India without a large section of Hindus backing you, viewing you as at least neutral rather than downright antagonistic.
Priyanka will create her own legacy and her own baggage. Right now, her slate is cleaner than Rahul’s. And that should count as an advantage.
Within a couple of years, it is likely to be clear who the party — from the senior leadership to the karyakarta on the ground — veers towards. A lot will depend on who succeeds more, builds a larger social coalition, and takes people along.
This competitive exclusion will have far-reaching consequences on India’s largest Opposition party and well as the country’s politics in general.
Abhijit Majumder is a senior journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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