From the Urdu Press: ‘Priyanka, Rahul to be Congress double engine in Parliament’, ‘Mahayuti rumblings amid MVA rise’

In the wake of the Lok Sabha elections, which threw up startling results, the leading contenders, the ruling BJP as well as the Opposition INDIA alliance, have started conducting a post-mortem of their performances – their hits and misses. They would then return to the drawing boards to firm up action plans for the challenges ahead. The Urdu dailies have turned their focus on this massive political exercise, especially tracking its progress in key states.

Referring to the Congress leadership’s decision to field Priyanka Gandhi from Kerala’s Wayanad Lok Sabha seat vacated by her brother and senior party leader Rahul Gandhi, the Mumbai-basedUrdu Times, in its editorial on June 19, writes that the move could be termed a “masterstroke” of the grand old party.

“Priyanka could have entered Parliament through the Rajya Sabha too, but she chose the Lok Sabha route for her electoral debut,” the editorial says. Rahul had won from both his seats, Wayanad and Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli, by about 3.64 lakh votes and 3.90 lakh votes respectively. “Priyanka’s victory from Wayanad seems to be a foregone conclusion,” the edit claims, adding that both Rahul and Priyanka would be seen together in Parliament, with Rahul expected to lead from the front as the Leader of the Opposition.

The editorial says Priyanka has a resemblance with her grandmother, the former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi. “Priyanka’s oratorical skills are striking. Even the Congress critics calling Rahul names like ‘politically immature’ have never dismissed Priyanka. Some observers even believe that she is the most popular leader in the Congress ranks. She has a massive appeal among women voters,” it states. She has been preparing for her political journey for several