PK trying for ‘wild card’ entry of Varun Gandhi in Congress

Ved Prakash Singh

Lucknow: Congress party strategist for the upcoming Assembly polls Prashant Kishor (PK), who has been given the responsibility to resuscitate the party’s beleaguered position in Uttar Pradesh, is planning to pick another trump card from Gandhi family.

According to highly placed sources, PK has urged the party to rope Varun Gandhi in the Congress and project him as the chief ministerial candidate in UP. It, if happens, is definitely going to be a big shock for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) because Gandhi family still holds waters in Uttar Pradesh.

How will it benefit the Congress party:

Undoubtedly, the party will get a ‘heavyweight’ member of the Gandhi family as well as it will get a chance to attack the BJP.

PK’s efforts:

If sources close to PK are to be believed, several veteran Congressmen have already been meeting Varun in this connection.

PK’s strategy must have got a boost after the latest cabinet reshuffle at the Centre where Varun again failed to get a ministerial berth. It is no secret that the BJP MP from Sultanpur has not been enjoying best of the times in the saffron party despite being the second time MP from Bharatiya Janata Party.

Party president Sonia Gandhi’s reaction:

Sources said Sonia has not yet opened her cards on this take and preferred to maintain silence. Hence, Sonia’s decision is still awaited by the party members though this decision is linked to Priyanka’s foray into active politics.

Varun Gandhi’s current relations with BJP:

Earlier, the members of BJP had accused Varun of carrying out campaigns that projected him as the party’s UP Chief Ministerial candidate for the next Assembly elections.

Also, Varun was conspicuous by his absence in the recent National Executive meeting in Allahabad. Later, he had to clarify that he had sought permission for the same from party chief Amit Shah.

Faced wrath of state BJP chief also:

Earlier, the UP BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya had also suggested him not to cross ‘laxman rekha’ in the wake of poster war in which he was projected as the CM candidate and the posters carried pictures of some disgruntled leaders of the party.

PK is trying to encash this:

PK is trying to take advantage of BJP’s dissatisfaction over the disciplinary conduct of Varun Gandhi.