Another face of the Nehru-Gandhi family entered electoral politics in the form of Priyanka Gandhi. Priyanka Gandhi is the Congress candidate in the by-elections to the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala. Priyanka Gandhi is the tenth member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to enter electoral politics. Speaking of the South, she is the second member of the family to begin her campaign tour from the South. Before Priyanka, her mother Sonia Gandhi entered politics by running for two Lok Sabha seats, one of which was Bellary in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
Talking about female family members, Priyanka Gandhi is the fourth female family member to enter electoral politics after her grandmother Indira Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi and Maneka Gandhi. Before Priyanka Gandhi, nine members of the Nehru-Gandhi family were involved in electoral politics. This family and political jugalbandhi started with the first Prime Minister Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and started with Indira Gandhi to Sanjay Gandhi and Feroze Gandhi to Varun ·Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi continue to this day. Now Priyanka Gandhi’s name has also been added to this list. Let us look at those members of the Nehru-Gandhi family who were involved in electoral politics.
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the country’s first and longest-serving Prime Minister and the first member of his family to enter electoral politics. Pandit Nehru actively participated in the freedom movement and became the first Prime Minister of independent India after independence. Pandit Nehru, active in politics since 1912, participated in the first general election after independence. Pandit Nehru led the country’s government as Prime Minister for about 17 years from August 15, 1947 to May 27, 1964.
indira gandhi
Indira Gandhi began her political career as a member of the Central Working Committee of the Congress. After the death of Pandit Nehru, Indira entered electoral politics in 1967 by contesting from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. Indira Gandhi served as the country’s Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 to 1984. Bangladesh’s existence as an independent country after the partition of Pakistan into two parts and the imposition of the Emergency in the country are also linked to the identity of Indira Gandhi of Iron Lady fame. Even today, the state of emergency is criticized.
Firoz Gandhi
Indira Gandhi’s husband Feroze Gandhi was also actively involved in the freedom struggle. Freedom fighter Firoz contested the first election after independence from Pratapgarh-Ray Bareilly Lok Sabha, secured a parliamentary seat and won. In the second general election held in 1957, Feroze Gandhi was elected from the Ray Bareilly seat.
Sanjay Gandhi
Indira Gandhi’s younger son Sanjay Gandhi has been interested in politics since childhood. After returning from abroad, Sanjay became active in politics. When the first general election was held after the emergency was lifted in 1977, he joined the campaign from the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Sanjay Gandhi was badly defeated in this anti-Emergency election, but managed to enter Parliament in 1980. Sanjay Gandhi died in a plane crash on June 23, 1980.
rajiv gandhi
The country’s former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi entered electoral politics after the death of his brother Sanjay Gandhi. Rajiv first contested the Amethi seat that fell vacant after the death of Sanjay Gandhi in a by-election held in 1981. After Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984, Rajiv Gandhi became Prime Minister. Under his leadership, in the general election held in the same year, the Congress Party successfully regained power with an overwhelming victory, a record that is still a record today. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, during the 1991 general election campaign.
Maneka Gandhi
Maneka Gandhi was the second female member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to enter politics and the first not to debut on the Congress Party logo. Maneka Gandhi started her electoral journey by forming her own party in the 1984 elections. However, she was defeated and moved to Pilibit, which is also known as her stronghold. Maneka Gandhi was the BJP candidate from Sultanpur seat in the recent elections. Priyanka Gandhi, who contested on the ticket of the Bharatiya Janata Party, failed this time.
Sonia Gandhi
Sonia Gandhi entered politics a few years after the assassination of her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, and became a leading member of Congress in 1997. Thereafter, she was elected as the President of Congress in 1998. He contested his first election in 1999 from Amethi, known as a Congress stronghold, and from the Bellary Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka. In 2004, she was transferred to Rae Bareli and continued to represent Parliament until the 2019 general election. Currently, Sonia Gandhi is a member of the Lok Sabha.
Varun Gandhi
Varun Gandhi came to power in the 2004 elections as the next generation of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Sanjay Gandhi’s son Varun Gandhi made his first foray into electoral politics in 2004 from the BJP’s Pilibhith seat and managed to enter the Assembly and win. Varun Gandhi is also the MP from Sultanpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party canceled Varun’s ticket.
Also Read: Wayanad: Ex-serviceman’s mother hugs Priyanka Gandhi, gifted garland, touching video surfaces
Rahul Gandhi
Rajiv Gandhi’s son Rahul Gandhi contested elections for the first time in 2004 from Amethi, the family’s traditional seat. He served as MP for the seat in 2009 and 2014 but had to face defeat in 2019. In 2019, Rahul Gandhi contested elections from Amethi and Wayanad in Kerala. He successfully reached the Assembly from Wayanad.
Also Read: Priyanka Gandhi makes strong candidacy in Wayanad, crowds gather for pre-nomination roadshow, Rahul Vadra also in attendance.
In the recent elections, Rahul Gandhi contested and won two seats against Wayanad and Rai Bareilly. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has left the Wayanad seat and hence a by-election is currently underway in the seat. Priyanka Gandhi is the Congress party’s candidate in the by-election to fill the Wayanad seat that fell vacant due to Rahul Gandhi’s resignation.
