Rahul Gandhi, a prominent leader of the Congress party, is currently running for a seat in the Lok Sabha elections from the Wayanad district in Kerala. However, he is also set to file his nomination for another constituency, Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, which has been a stronghold for his family and was previously held by his mother, Sonia Gandhi. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has expressed confidence that Rahul Gandhi will face defeat in Rae Bareli as well. The deadline for filing nomination papers for both constituencies is May 3.
These two seats, historically significant for the Gandhi family, are scheduled for elections on May 20. Sonia Gandhi vacated the Rae Bareli seat earlier this year after becoming a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Rahul Gandhi, who is the current Member of Parliament from Wayanad, will contest against BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh in Rae Bareli, the same opponent his mother defeated in the 2019 general elections. Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, is involved in his campaign in Amethi.
Having represented the Amethi constituency thrice in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi faced defeat in 2019 against BJP’s Smriti Irani. Subsequently, he secured a seat from Kerala’s Wayanad constituency.
It’s anticipated that Sonia Gandhi will be present during Rahul Gandhi’s nomination process, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will accompany Kishori Lal Sharma. Supporters of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have already prepared the necessary documents for the nomination.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Smriti Irani has submitted her nomination papers from Amethi.
The delay in announcing candidates for these seats drew criticism from the BJP, attributing it to the Congress party’s alleged lack of confidence.
When asked about contesting from Amethi, Rahul Gandhi stated he would comply with the decision of the party leadership. Sonia Gandhi represented Rae Bareli from 2004 to 2024, having previously won Lok Sabha elections in Amethi in 1999.
In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is contesting 17 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats, while its ally, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, is contesting 63 seats.
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