‘Congress has too many leaders but few workers’

New Delhi, May 25: Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are at the crossroads after the results of the Lok Sabha were announced on Thursday.

The Congress could manage to win only 52 seats, eight more than its 2014 tally.

As party president, Rahul Gandhi held 124 rallies in 115 constituencies across India, but Congress and other parties of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) could win only 19 of those seats.

The biggest setback for the Congress and Gandhis is that Rahul has been defeated in Amethi, a family bastion.

Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi by a margin of around 55,000 votes.

Since Rahul was campaigning for the party candidates across India, his sister Priyanka Gandhi was looking after his campaigning in Amethi.

Priyanka, 47, who was appointed AICC general secretary in-charge Uttar Pradesh (east) in January, did manage to create a buzz during the Lok Sabha polls but failed to deliver.

The eastern UP has 41 Lok Sabha constituencies like Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seat Varanasi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Gorakhpur along with Gandhi family's bastions Amethi and Raebareli.

She held 44 rallies in 38 constituencies during her campaigning, out of which 26 were concentrated in UP.

Of the 38 constituencies where Priyanka campaigned, the Congress managed to win only on two seats. The seats are Rae Bareilly, from where her mother Sonia Gandhi has won, and Wayanad, the winning constituency of Rahul Gandhi.

Her entry into active politics was dubbed as a Trump Card of the Congress. It's notable that in the past 'unofficially' Priyanka had been campaigning in Amethi and Rae Bareli for Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

After her official entry, Priyanka faced the ground realities of Congress in UP.

While the BJP fought elections with the backing of dedicated party workers and Rashtirya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadre, the Congress was in the battleground with the appeal of Priyanka as the party did not have a strong organisation in the state.

According to reports, when the results of the Lok Sabha were announced on Thursday then Rahul Gandhi wanted to tender his resignation as Congress president but was stopped by his mother Sonia Gandhi.

A political analyst is of the opinion that instead of playing 'resignation' theatrics, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra must identify the real problem.

The biggest problem in Congress is that it has too many leaders but few workers, says the analyst.