A leader from the Congress, Rahul Gandhi, submitted his candidacy on Friday in Raebareli, accompanied by his mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi. Joining them were the Congress president Mallikajun Kharge and Robert Vadra, as they filed the necessary documents at the local administrative office.
Kishori Lal Sharma, a steadfast supporter of the Gandhi family, will vie for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. On Friday, both Rahul and Sharma will formalize their candidacy, marking the final day for such filings. These constituencies are slated for election on May 20th, falling within the fifth phase of the broader seven-phase electoral process.
This strategic move by Rahul Gandhi to transition to the Raebareli constituency has forestalled a potentially intense contest in Amethi, where Union Minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani is seeking reelection. In Raebareli, Rahul will encounter Dinesh Pratap Singh, a seasoned Congressman who stands as the BJP’s nominee.
According to inside sources, the Congress loyalist KL Sharma will contest the Lok Sabha elections in Amethi, a constituency that Rahul Gandhi relinquished in the 2019 general elections to BJP’s Smriti Irani. Friday signifies the deadline for candidacy submissions for these constituencies, slated for polling on May 20th during the fifth phase of the electoral process.
Historically, Amethi and Raebareli have been strongholds for the Congress party until the 2019 elections. Raebareli, notably represented by Sonia Gandhi who later transitioned to the Rajya Sabha, has consistently remained within the Congress’s grasp, save for three Lok Sabha elections since 1951. Prior to Sonia Gandhi’s tenure, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi secured victory in Raebareli on three occasions.
The constituency also elected Feroze Gandhi, Indira’s husband and a Congress luminary, in both 1952 and 1957. Except for two instances in 1962 and 1999, a member of the Nehru-Gandhi lineage has contested this seat.
Both Amethi and Raebareli traditionally uphold the legacy of the Gandhi-Nehru family, with generations of family members representing these constituencies. The Congress, as part of a seat-sharing agreement with the Samajwadi Party (SP), is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, with candidates announced for all but Amethi and Raebareli.
Amethi’s polling is scheduled for the fifth phase on May 20th, with the deadline for candidate filings set for May 3rd. Rahul’s loss in Amethi, once hailed as a Congress stronghold, to Smriti Irani in the 2019 elections was viewed as a significant setback to the party’s national stature.
Rahul held the Amethi seat in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2019. His father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, similarly represented Amethi in the Lower House from 1981 until his demise in 1991.
Sonia Gandhi contested elections from Amethi in 1999 before passing the baton to Rahul in 2004. Presently, Rahul represents Wayanad in the Lok Sabha, while Irani seeks reelection from Amethi.
