Congress president Sonia Gandhi's daughter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, acknowledged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was “an important opponent” in the Delhi Assembly elections but said the Congress would soon bounce back.
“I think it's definitely an important opponent in this election,” Ms. Vadra said on Saturday after casting her vote in the bitterly contested elections.
The admission comes in the backdrop of her brother and Congress vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, leading a campaign underlined by almost direct attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal.
When asked to comment on Mr. Gandhi’s remark after the previous Assembly elections that the Congress could learn from the AAP, Ms. Vadra said: “I am sure they, too, have a lot to learn from the Congress. Everyone learns from everyone.”
Party insiders admitted they were surprised by her comments but deflected queries saying they were “her personal views.”
PTI adds:
Priyanka, who was accompanied by her husband Robert Vadra, said she was optimistic that the Congress would bounce back from the series of election defeats. “The Congress has faced difficulties before and it has always come through. I’m sure it will come through,” she said.
In the 2013 Delhi elections, Congress had won eight seats while AAP and BJP had bagged 28 and 31 seats respectively.
