Voting with the Gandhis: Rahul, Priyanka, Sonia. Three different booths, three different pictures
The way the Gandhis voted mirrors the changing landscape of their own family.
A day after the world came to know that Congress president Rahul Gandhi can help fix a helicopter, it was then revealed to us that he can even walk to his polling booth to cast his vote.
In fact, as Delhi went to the polls on May 12, all eyes were on the Gandhis because we are not Mumbai and we don’t have a glitzy Bollywood brigade. We have political prodigies to look out for. The excitement over each of them, the ebb and flow of enthusiasm, however, is an interesting story waiting to be told.
Tranquility: 'It's all about love'
Clad in his signature white kurta-pajama, Rahul Gandhi caught everyone by surprise when he decided to ditch his car. He started a brisk walk from his Tughlaq Lane home to the voting centre on Aurangzeb Lane. He was accompanied by Ajay Maken, Congress candidate of the New Delhi constituency.
“It was a good fight. Narendra Modi used hatred and I used love. And I think love will triumph. The people are our maalik. We will accept the people’s mandate,” Rahul said after voting.
We all know that Rahul is in a very tranquil state of mind of late. So, it was quite obvious that he won’t fire off a corrosive speech now — in the last leg of the election.
He was recently spotted reading The Teachings of Shri Ramana Maharshi.
Confidence: 'BJP is on its way out'
Congress secretary Priyanka Gandhi came to vote, along with husband Robert Vadra, at a polling booth located in the Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Lodhi Estate.
'The BJP is on its way out,' she sounded confident, dressed in a striking handloom saree.
“There is anger among people and they are under distress. Modiji, instead of talking about real issues, is talking about random things. And now, they will express their anger against this government through voting.”
Priyanka’s son, Rehan, seen campaigning in Amethi along with Rahul Gandhi, was supposed to be a first-time voter.
But, according to reports, he had to fly to London for his exams.
Withdrawal: Making way...
Clad in her now-iconic red saree, Sonia Gandhi voted at a polling booth in Nirman Bhavan. She was accompanied by Congress' neta Sheila Dixit.
Unlike the last Lok Sabha Elections, this election is not at all about Sonia Gandhi, though winning Raebareli will be a cakewalk for her. With Priyanka's official entry into politics, the discourse was all set to centre around Priyanka — until the Congress decided not to field her this time.
In 2014, it was Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka — going by their significance.
In 2019, it's Rahul, Priyanka, Sonia.
There are games of thrones even within dynasties.