Priyanka Gandhi fills leadership vacuum, grassroots cadre eludes UP Congress

LUCKNOW: Going by the buzz the Congress has been able to create in Hathras case and Sonbhadra mass killing of tribals last year, it seems the arrival of Priyanka Gandhi as the state in charge has filled the leadership vacuum up to some extent. But the crisis of dedicated grassroots cadre that started after the beginning of its downfall in the late 80s refuses to end.
By staging a sit-in and refusing to retreat without meeting tribal families whose kin were massacred over a land dispute with non-tribals in Sonbhadra had made it clear that she had leadership qualities. The Sonbhadra administration, which initially remained adamant on not allowing her to console the tribal families personally, finally had to surrender before her.

In Hathras too, Priyanka and her brother Rahul were not allowed by district authorities to meet family members of a Dalit girl who was allegedly gang-raped and murdered. Priyanka, who challenged arm-twisting tactics by the district authorities was even manhandled, but finally district officers had to make way for her to embrace the grieving family.
From Sonbhadra to Hathras, Priyanka’s aggressive postures have energised the moribund cadres and rank and file of the party who now hope for some revival in the 2022 Assembly elections.
What the Congress leadership needs is to avoid repeat of 2012 experiment when leading the Congress charge in the Assembly elections Rahul had attacked then Mayawati government on the multi-crore NRHM scandal with his remarks that 'Kendra se chala paisa yahan baitha haathi kha jaata hai' (the funds sanctioned by Centre are gobbled by an elephant in UP). Rahul was succeeded in making a dent on the image of the Mayawati government over the NRHM issue and had also generated an anti-BSP atmosphere in 2012 elections. But due to weak local leadership, the Congress failed to make any impact and had to contend with just 29 seats in 2012 and .
The Samajwadi Party with a strong leadership, well oiled organisational machinery and a vast network of workers gained from it formed its government in 2012 with a comfortable majority.
In the next polls in 2017, the Congress's seats tally was reduced to just seven in a House of 403 members.
However, in the last few months the Congress under Priyanka has successfully activated the party’s rank and file and has also offered some resistance to the BJP government. But to regain its old strength of being a formidable player in the state’s political map, the Congress will have to raise an army of grassroots workers.
Since 2017, when the Congress posted its lowest tally in single digit in its electoral history, it had adequate time to project its assembly constituency-level leaders. With the 2022 Assembly polls coming closer, the party is yet to overcome its same age-old dilemma of lacking credible faces at the hustings.