Lok Sabha Polls 2024: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi are likely to file their nomination for the Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, respectively, according to a report by news agency ANI. Congress officials have informed the news agency that the final decision will be taken after Lok Sabha elections 2024 phase two, voting for which will take place on April 26.
Rahul Gandhi is an incumbent MP from Kerala’s Wayanad, which votes in the second phase on April 26. The report by ANI says that the final decision for the candidature of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will be taken after Friday, and nominations will be filed next week.
In 2019, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Smriti Irani had defeated Rahul Gandhi in the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. Notably, the Union minister has been fielded again by the BJP for Amethi.
The Rae Bareli seat was held by Sonia Gandhi, who now moved to the Rajya Sabha, after she announced that she would not be contesting the Lok Sabha elections anymore, thus leaving the seat of the Congress bastion vacant.
Speculations are rife that Priyanka Gandhi will be making her poll debut by contesting the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat.
As per the agreement between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress will contest 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state.
Apart from Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress will also be contesting from Varanasi, Ghaziabad and Kanpur. Notably, Prime Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi is also contesting from Varanasi.
Earlier, posters featuring Robert Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, appeared outside the party’s office on Wednesday in the Gauriganj area of Amethi. This raised speculations of a possible ticket for Vadra.
Rae Bareli has long stood as a stronghold for the Congress party, dating back to 1960. It has been represented by Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi. Following in their footsteps, Sonia Gandhi has served as the Member of Parliament since emerging victorious in the 2006 by-poll.
In what was once considered a secure bastion for Rahul Gandhi, the political landscape in Amethi now appears more uncertain. BJP leader Smriti Irani has launched an aggressive campaign in the constituency, challenging Rahul Gandhi’s historical dominance, thereby setting an uphill task for the Congress to reclaim its bastion.
Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.
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Published: 25 Apr 2024, 02:23 PM IST