(Image source from: What makes Priyanka Gandhi a charismatic leader?})

As the 2014 Lok Sabha election is on its final leg the war of words between the BJP and the Congress has reached its peak. The barbs are no longer between BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Congress' apparent PM candidate Rahul Gandhi. It's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, daughter of Congreess president Sonia Gandhi and sister of Rahul Gandhi, who is matching Modi's barbs with barbs and bytes with bytes.

Considering the fact that she has started campaigning only eight days ago, she has achieved much more than what Rahul Gandhi managed in this whole election season. Priyanka has the nation hanging on to every word she utters. So great is her charisma that the media follows her daily, ever since she started campaigning for her mother and brother's constituencies in Rae Bareli and Amethi respectively.

Priyanka Gandhi's enigmatic charisma can be gauged by the fact that she has been campaigning only in the Gandhi pocket boroughs of Rae Bareli and Amethi, that too in the last eight days. It's unlikely that she will drastically change the fortune of the Congress but the fact remains that her charisma overshadows most politicians. And she could be the winning card if the Congress decides to use in the next general election.

So what makes Priyanka Gandhi a charismatic leader that even the BJP has decided to target her through her husband Robert Vadra. For one she has the easy charm of her grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi and her fighter instincts, according to Congress veterans.

The masses love her for her easy disposition and politically correct dressing style. At a recent election rally in Rae Bareli, Priyanka steps out of the white Fortuner she moves around in wearing a crisp lemon yellow handloom saree teemed with black three-fourth sleeves blouse and flat sandals.

Her aggressive defence of Robert Vadra reminds us of Indira Gandhi who was resolute and unaffected even after the 1977 election rout. Indira Gandhi had stated 'attack me and I'll fight back,' said political analyst Sudhir Panwar.

The media which follows her everywhere blocks her view from the crowd with television cameras. She climbs the stage to find that she cannot see the people and makes her displeasure known to the organisers. However the organizers are unable to make changes. So Priyanka comes down from the stage, crosses the barriers between herself and the crowds, sits in a plastic chair and asks the overwhelmed crowd, "Ab dikh rahi hoon sabko?" (Can i be seen to everyone now?). Her speech lasted for only seven-minutes, but Priyanka had the entire crowd floored.

The media on its part is equally impressed with Priyanka, who has struck a deal with the byte-hungry press. She says that she would give all her statements in the first meeting of the day. After that the reporters can relax and need not chase her.

No doubt there's something special about Priyanka Gandhi for why would the Congress bring her out in the last leg of campaigning. Sonia and Rahul Gandhi were finding it difficult to convincingly counter the attacks from the saffron brigade. According to a party insider, Priyanka was the "brahmastra" of the Congress that the party did not want to deploy as yet. But her no-holds-barred attacks on Modi has given Congress workers a renewed vigour to fight back a losing battle with dignity.

(AW: Pratima Tigga)