Assam’s Pradyut Bordoloi to sit next to Priyanka Gandhi in Lok Sabha. What it means.

Debutant Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been allocated seat 517 in the fourth row of the Lok Sabha, as per the recently announced seating arrangement. This placement could hold significance for the Assam Congress. Why? Priyanka, the third member of the Gandhi family in Parliament (alongside Sonia Gandhi in the Rajya Sabha and Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha), will be seated next to Assam MP Pradyut Bordoloi on one side and Kerala Congress MP Adoor Prakash on the other. 

This arrangement has led to speculation within Congress circles about whether proximity to Priyanka might influence their political futures.

Such conjecture isn’t unfounded. Between 2014 and 2019, Kerala MP K.C. Venugopal’s placement beside Rahul Gandhi in the 16th Lok Sabha elevated his profile significantly. Venugopal not only secured a spot in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) — the party’s top decision-making body—but also became the general secretary in charge of the organization. Today, he is among the party’s top five decision-makers, after the Gandhi trio—Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka—and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. 

Similarly, Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi’s rise to Congress’s Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha was largely attributed to his proximity to the Gandhis. Rahul Gandhi even requested a front-row seat for Gaurav in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla just before the winter session began.

Pradyut Bordoloi, however, downplays the significance of seating arrangements. “It’s a trivial matter,” he told India Today NE. 

Nevertheless, the Nagaon MP expressed dissatisfaction over Priyanka being placed in the fourth row. “She is a senior leader of the Indian National Congress and deserves due recognition, respect, and position,” he said. Despite his criticism, Bordoloi emphasised, “No matter where she sits, Priyanka will always be a leader of great stature,” dismissing the seating arrangement as inconsequential. 

In Parliament, key leaders are allocated reserved seats, while the remaining seats are assigned according to party strength and seniority. The first 20 seats are designated for prominent leaders, with the allocation of the remaining seats distributed among parties based on their seat numbers, ensuring proportional representation.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain his seat no. 1, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah will occupy seat numbers 2 and 3, respectively, the front rows on either sides — treasury and Opposition - will feature Congress stalwarts like Rahul Gandhi, Venugopal, Gaurav Gogoi, and K Suresh. 

On speculations that often arise due to seating schedules for politicians in parliamentary sessions, Bordoloi asserted that all leaders are equal in Parliament and have been elected by the people of the country. "It does not matter if someone sits in the front row or the back row," he added.

Further drawing a line between a politician's tenure and the work they perform, the Nagaon MP said that tenure should not be the basis for recognition. Bordoloi and Adoor Prakash are two-time MPs, while Priyanka has entered the lower house for the first time.

He called for recognition and due position for Gandhi. "You cannot quantify someone's public presence in the highest forum of democracy. Priyanka Gandhi has been at the forefront of the main Opposition party. A first, second, or third term does not matter," Bordoloi said.

Priyanka is representing the Wayanad constituency, a key seat for the Congress, which was held by her brother, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, for a long period of time.