New Delhi: The probability of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra going to the Rajya Sabha was being discussed within the Congress in hush tones with nominations for the June 10 polls closing on May 31.
Given that Priyanka holds a pre-eminent position in the Congress, most leaders ETV Bharat spoke to did not want to come on record over the issue. Sources said the proposal has been made by some leaders before Congress chief Sonia Gandhi who will take a final call on the matter.
According to a former union minister, if Priyanka goes to the Rajya Sabha she will certainly be a strong voice against the central government in Parliament ahead of the 2024 national elections.
He listed Chhattisgarh, where Congress can get two seats, as a probable state which could send Priyanka to the upper house of Parliament.
At the same time, the former union minister said, the move might give the BJP a chance to target the Congress by saying that one of its top leaders chose the Rajya Sabha route to enter Parliament instead of contesting the Lok Sabha polls.
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An AICC Secretary said that of late there have been murmurs in various state units like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and even Rajasthan that Priyanka could be sent to the Rajya Sabha from there.
Expressing doubt that such a proposal was being considered, he said that a discussion like this would remain confined only among the top three or four leaders in the party and would not have been discussed by the state teams.
However, party insiders say that Priyanka has no doubt been aggressively taking on the UP government being in charge of the state and had also been slamming the Centre over various issues.
"Whenever she speaks, the rivals take note of it. If her words go out as a Rajya Sabha member they will certainly carry more weight," said a senior AICC functionary.
Expressing another set of opinions, a party strategist said that Priyanka is already a strong national voice within the party system and the Congress chief would rather prefer to send other leaders to the Rajya Sabha given a limitation of seats this time and a long list of deserving aspirants.
While a combination of Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha and Priyanka Gandhi in the Rajya Sabha taking on the BJP together in Parliament appeared exciting for some leaders, the others pointed out that the two were top national leaders anyway and were playing their role effectively.
Sources said that much would also depend on how Priyanka herself responds to the proposal as she is not the one who hankers for power or any office but is only keen to revive the Congress nationally.
