Priyanka Gandhi Vadra steps into active politics from eastern Uttar Pradesh

The Indian National Congress on Wednesday appointed Priyanka Gandhi as the general secretary of the party in wake of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The INC also named her as the in-charge of party’s affairs in Uttar Pradesh

Priyanka Gandhi

The Indian National Congress on Wednesday appointed Priyanka Gandhi as the general secretary of Eastern Uttar Pradesh region in wake of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The INC also named her as the in-charge of party’s affairs in Eastern Uttar Pradesh as a move to step up their preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. The announcement by the Grand Old Party marks Priyanka’s formal entry into the Indian political landscape. Meanwhile, Jyotiraditya Scindia was appointed by the party as their general secretary for Western Uttar Pradesh region . The party also replaced Ashok Gehlot as AICC general secretary Organisation with K C Venugopal.  Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad was appointed AICC general secretary in charge of Haryana, the party said. Priyanka Gandhi will take over as AICC general secretary for UP East in the first week of February, the party said. Responding to Priyanka's appointment, senior party leader Moti lal Vora said that the move will strengthen the party in Uttar Pradesh. Hailing the decision, senior UP Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said that people see the shades of Indira Gandhi in Priyanka Gandhi and her appointment as Congress general secretary will boost the party's prospects in 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It is notable that Priyanka’s brother Rahul Gandhi is the president of the Indian National Congress. The decision from the Congress think tank comes after Samajawadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (SP)  announced a strategic alliance for the Lok Sabha polls in UP, contesting in 38 seats each and leaving only the Amethi and Rae Barelli constituencies for the Congress. With the Lok Sabha elections just a few months away, major political parties are leaving no stone unturned to  boost their poll preparations in Uttar Pradesh which sends the maximum legislators to the Lower House of the parliament, thereby playing a crucial role in deciding the fortunes of the general elections.