New Delhi: Who will contest from prestigious seat of Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi or his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra? Following Sonia Gandhi taking route to Parliament from Rajya Sabha, Congress party is searching for a suitable candidate to contest from the stronghold of the party.
The delay in announcing candidate for this seat, according to the sources, both Rahul and Priyanka wanted to contest the election form this seat, the candidate likely to be announced on April 27 or April 28, once election in Wayanad gets over where Gandhi scion Rahul is contesting. The party don’t want to name his candidature before the polls there as it could impact negatively his chances of winning there.
Rae Bareli, scheduled to cast its votes along with Amethi in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.
Under the seat-sharing arrangement with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, Congress is set to contest 17 seats while the Samajwadi Party will vie for the remaining 63 seats. Beyond its traditional strongholds of Rae Bareli and Amethi, Congress is venturing into Varanasi, Ghaziabad, and Kanpur.
Adding to the intrigue, posters featuring Robert Vadra, husband of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, surfaced outside the party’s office in Amethi’s Gauriganj area, fueling conjecture about his potential candidacy. This speculation gains momentum particularly in light of Smriti Irani’s victory over Rahul Gandhi in Amethi during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Irani’s re-nomination by the BJP from the same seat implies a strategic shift for Rahul, prompting considerations beyond Amethi.
Rae Bareli is the stronghold of the grand-old party and a safer bet for the Gandhis. The constituency represented by stalwarts like Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi’s tenure as MP in Rae Bareli, commencing with her victory in the 2006 bypoll, solidified the family’s association with the seat.
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