After Rahul Gandhi,will his sister Priyanka enter active politics by contesting the coming Lok Sabha elections? At least six district units from Uttar Pradesh have appealed to the Congress leadership for fielding Priyanka in the elections. Describing the demands as spontaneous and reflective of the love and affection enjoyed by her in the party,the AICC,however,has said that Priyanka has to give the consent first. Whenever we go to the people,they ask us why don't you ask Priyanka to contest elections, AICC media department chief M Veerappa Moily told reporters in New Delhi. She is a youth icon along with Rahul Gandhi, Moily said when asked whether Priyanka has an appeal with the country's youth. This will (Priyanka contesting elections) definitely help the party and the country, he noted. UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi,however,said Priyanka was not interested in electoral politics yet and therefore she has not forwarded the resolutions from several districts to the AICC. Thirty-five-year-old Priyanka had campaigned for her mother and brother extensively in Rae Bareily and Amethi in the last Lok Sabha election and is known for her spontaneous rapport with the masses. Fifty five percent of the country's population comprises youth. Today and tomorrow belong to the youth, Moily said,adding there is a visible desire of the people to have her in politics. Moily's comments comes a day after party's youth and district units in at least six Uttar Pradesh districts asked the Congress leadership to field Priyanka from the politically sensitive state,which sends 80 members to the lower house. On Monday,party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan too had said It (her contesting) will be very beneficial. It will be very good and appropriate. She has an image. The demands to field Priyanka have come at a time when the Congress-SP alliance appears to be in trouble with the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led party unilaterally announcing most of its candidates. Joshi,meanwhile,said the resolution passed by the Moradabad unit asking Priyanka to contest has been changed and her name excluded from it,as she was not interested in electoral politics yet. Other units including Allahabad,Lucknow and Sultanpur have made similar resolutions. But we are not forwarding them, she said. We love the Gandhi family,therefore,everyone wants her to contest from their area, she,however,said. Four generations of the Gandhi-Nehru family - from Jawaharlal Nehru to Rahul Gandhi - have represented Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha.
