NewDelhi: Today, in Lok Sabha, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra assumed her first ever MPship in the Lok Sabha as a representative of Kerala’s Wayanad. This is an exceptional time in Indian politics: three members of the Gandhi-Nehru family are currently in Parliament: her brother, Rahul Gandhi, as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and her mother, Sonia Gandhi, as a Rajya Sabha MP.
The raging emotions and momentous occasion brought everyone from Priyanka’s family to the ceremony. Everyone were in the parliament gallery to watch the swearing-in ceremony. Other Congress leaders present were Mallikarjun Kharge and Ranjeet Ranjan, both of whom are of the senior category within the party.
Sleek in an off-white saree, Priyanka entered the Lok Sabha at 11 a.m. following her mother. Handing out a copy of the Constitution during the ceremony, she took her oath in Hindi and deeply swore for everyone to see the Constitution. She ended her oath by prostrating before the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, then bowed before the members of the opposition as well as the ruling parties, including her brother Rahul Gandhi.
A Grand Victory in Wayanad
Priyanka Gandhi’s entry to Parliament comes only a week after giving a staggering win in the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election. She won with a handsome margin over 400000 for the Congress party and thus established herself as the important political leader in the state. Wayanad stands out, in particular, where she was replaced by her brother Rahul Gandhi before he switched to another constituency.
This is Priyanka’s first experience of being a legislator, and that too only after formally joining the electoral fray in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, in which she did not participate in the elections but performed a crucial role as Congress General Secretary.
Supporters and family, plus a spate of new business in the British parliament
It also assumed extra importance because Priyanka’s husband, Robert Vadra, their children, Rehan and Miraya, and Robert’s mother were sitting in the Parliament gallery to witness her first major act as a parliamentarian. Sonia Gandhi seemed especially pleased during the occasion, which she shared with her clan and other top Congress stick leaders.
Once she was settled into the fourth row of the opposition benches, Priyanka became an invited center of attention. Many Congress MPs and several others, including Shashi Tharoor, Deepender Hooda, and Misa Bharti, came running to congratulate her and take some group photos—underscoring her popularity in the party. Priyanka was also clicked waving to senior leaders of the BJP, including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, and also to her mother and mother-in-law present in the gallery.
The jubilation, however, did not last long because the operations of the Indian Parliament recuperated destructive protests initiated by the opposition Members of Parliament following Priyanka’s oath-taking ceremony. The ruckus made recently elected Speaker Om Birla adjourn the session up to lunch break, thus beginning her parliamentary term with a bang. However, the attendees also pointed out her decent and noble demeanor as she started this new stage of her political life.
For the first time, three members of the Gandhi family are in the Parliament, a record in the parliamentary history of India. While Sonia Gandhi continues to be the family representative in the Rajya Sabha, Rahul, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Priyanka’s win also elects her in the Lok Sabha, the family now has a power trio from Indian political aristocracy.
The recent entry of Priyanka has led people into speculations regarding her leadership’s position in the Congress party and Indian politics. Analysts and observers have predicted that she could be on the cusp of rising to the position of a unifying political leader and spokesperson of the party, taking advantage of her political prowess and charisma developed from her extensive work in the democratic processes.
With her, another Congress member to Lok Sabha, Ravindra Basant Rao Chawan, took oath today for Nanded constituency of Maharashtra. Mr. Chavan swore in Marathi.
These victories have ensured that Congress continues to be in the opposition, though it is keen on deepening its formation against the BJP-led alliance across the Lok Sabha.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra formally joined the political mainstream in 2019, though she did not contest any elections but worked as Congress General Secretary. Her task was on the enhancement of the party in Uttar Pradesh, but she has not ventured into electoral battles before. Even with her recent entry into lawmaking through Wayanad, she now stands well to become more active in both the Parliament and national political arena.