Priyanka Gandhi has dismissed reports about her taking an active political role to revive Congress’ sagging fortunes as “baseless rumors” and “conjecture.”

Gossips nonetheless refuse to die down.

Even if the news is not true, the hypothesis has a valid assumption if Priyanka’s entry at this time of crisis in Congress will be of any help to the party’s return to the center of power.

India has just had its 16th parliamentary election that installed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the center with so much a thumping majority that chances of any mid-term poll are highly unlikely.

Any speculation about a possible split within the ruling party backed by a vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to throw up fresh elections midway will be out of tune with the current scenario in the country.

Although Priyanka has refuted claims of her taking the mantle of the party, she however finds enough time to reconsider her decision, if Congress has to be revived.

The daughter and granddaughter of former prime ministers, Priyanka has not held any formal office in Congress, but she has been fairly active in politics for about a decade, albeit her role has been primarily confined to campaigning for her mother Sonia Gandhi and her brother Rahul Gandhi in their respective electoral constituencies. She has attended a few top level meetings of Congress too, especially the ones chaired by Rahul after his taking office as vice-president of the grand old party.

In this backdrop, it won’t be entirely wrong to assume that Priyanka has remained apolitical. However, she has yet to step onto the national stage as a Congress leader. Congress members are hopeful of Priyanka playing a key role in turning the political tide in the party’s favor in near future. It was with the same hope that they banked upon Rahul in 2014 parliamentary elections. The party’s numerical strength in the lower house (Lok Sabha) of Parliament slipped from 206 in 2009 to only 44 in 2014 elections.

While it is being blamed on Rahul’s “weak leadership” for the dismal performance of the party in election, the responsibility for the failure should have been apportioned to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

This blame game is not going to serve the party’s interest but it will dent its image further. Instead the party should focus on its positive sides.

Ever since she joined the political fray by accepting presidentship of Congress in 1998, Sonia has not lost any election, beginning with her first term in 1999. The present one is her 4th term in Parliament. Rahul actively entered politics by contesting and winning parliamentary elections for the first time in 2004, which he retained in the subsequent election of 2009 and 2014.

The success of Sonia and Rahul in retaining their respective parliamentary seats, despite the party facing a major defeat, suggests they have not lost their political credibility.

Creating hype about Priyanka’s political ability, particularly by comparing her with Rahul, can at most create a few headlines and nothing else. The situation would have been different if parliamentary polls were around the corner and Priyanka also held a seat in the present Parliament.

Certain Congress members are hopeful of Priyanka’s political smile, charming face and her close resemblance to her paternal grandmother, former prime minister, late Indira Gandhi playing a great role in helping the party regain its lost political ground. But these qualities can help Priyanka be a crowd-puller and perhaps win another seat for Congress, if she decides to contest polls.

Neither of these can play a strong role in revival of Congress party. It cannot be ignored that Rahul’s dimpled smile, at times the unshaven look and hand waves, earned him ample media coverage during his campaign for 2014 polls.

Interestingly, by pinning their hopes on Priyanka, Congress members have affirmed that they will accept leadership only from this family. Within a few years of taking over presidentship of Congress, political cards deftly played by Sonia helped Congress assume power in 2004 and stay at the helm for around a decade before it faced defeat in recent parliamentary polls.

This also suggests that as yet it is too early to dismiss possibility of revival of Congress under leadership of Sonia. Maybe, this is one political reality that has refrained Rahul from going overboard in announcing his political ambitions. The same restrain is probably being exercised by Priyanka.

Rather, a lot is dependent on who these leaders decide to share stage with and shake hands with!

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