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Lucknow
India’s powerful Nehru-Gandhi dynasty on Monday unleashed its newest star with thousands turning out to see Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who staged her first roadshow as a full-fledged party leader as the country gears up for a general election.
Crowds showered rose petals on the great-granddaughter of India’s founding leader Jawaharlal Nehru as she took an open bus tour through Lucknow, capital of the key northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
The opposition Congress party is counting on the 47-year-old daughter of assassinated premier Rajiv Gandhi to boost its campaign against nationalist Hindu Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is expected to call an election in April.
Indian National Congress party, last month appointed her to the post of general secretary. She has been put in charge of the party in Uttar Pradesh state, which sends a large number of lawmakers to parliament and often plays a crucial role in deciding who forms the government.
Priyanka and Rahul, accompanied by party leaders, rode in an open truck which wound its way through the streets of state capital Lucknow, waving at thousands of supporters who chanted slogans welcoming her into politics.
Ahead of her debut, priyanka said she hoped to usher in “new politics” in Uttar Pradesh, which Premier Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party won in 2014 national elections and again in state pollsin 2017. Congress workers believe the induction of priyanka, who resembles the charismatic Indira Gandhi, will boost the party’s chances in the national elections.
The ruling BJP has often criticized the Congress party for what they term “dynastic politics.” She has taken up the position 14 months after her brother became party president.
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12/02/2019
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