Priyanka is Sonia's poll agent

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has appointed her daughter Priyanka Vadra as her election agent for the May 8 Lok Sabha by election, a battle in which Congress bigwigs have kept away from campaigning.

The appointment of Priyanka, who was her election agent even in the 2004 general elections, conforms to the practice of the Gandhi family keeping the campaign generally restricted to local Congress leaders and the family.

Rahul Gandhi, MP from the neighbouring Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, is the campaign manager in the current election. He has already been touring the length and breadth of Rae Bareli, considered the pocket borough of the Gandhi-Nehru family, which she described as her 'karma bhoomi'.

Sonia has made the by-election a prestige fight by declaring that it would prove where the Opposition stood.

She had won the 2004 election by a margin of over 2.4 lakh votes and the party claims that it would be bettered this time.