Congress mulling to send Priyanka Gandhi to Rajya Sabha

The Congress is weighing options to send General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi to the upper house of Parliament in the biennial elections to be held in April. If sources are to be believed, she is likely to be sent to the Rajya Sabha from Chhattisgarh.

More young leaders are also considered for a slot in the upper house including Jyotiraditya Scindia who lost his seat from Guna in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while top Rahul Gandhi aides Milind Deora and Rajiv Satav could find a place from Maharashtra, and Jitin Prasada may be conducted from Bihar in a seat which RJD could concede to the Congress.

If things goes as planned, many veterans may not get a chance to return to the Rajya Sabha. With the terms of Moti Lal Vora, Ambika Soni and Ghulam Nabi Azad ending this year, Azad may get a seat from Rajasthan where the Congress has a majority.

A source said that one veteran and one young leader is likely to be accommodated in the upper house where there are two or more seats. If there is one, then other things can also be considered, the source said.

The party is lacking a forceful voice in the upper house and Priyanka Gandhi can fill the space with Rahul Gandhi taking on the government in the Lok Sabha. But the party has to face the allegation of promoting dynasts at cost of workers. During the Lok Sabha polls, it was clear that she will contest bypolls later from Amethi, but the programme failed as Rahul Gandhi was defeated from the family borough though he won from Kerala's Wayanad.

Priyanka Gandhi was keen to contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi but did not get party nod to go ahead.