In the forthcoming Lok Sabha electoral pursuit in Rae Bareli and Amethi, Congress luminary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is slated to lead the charge, immersing herself in these parliamentary territories in Uttar Pradesh commencing Monday to bolster the party’s prospects in these two eminent constituencies, as per sources.
The veil of suspense was lifted as the Congress declared on Friday that Rahul Gandhi will vie for the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli, the bastion held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the past two decades, while Kishori Lal Sharma, a trusted confidant of the Gandhi lineage, will contend from Amethi.
Priyanka Gandhi has already assumed the reins of the electoral campaigns and will encamp in Rae Bareli and Amethi starting from Monday onwards until the cessation of polls.
She is poised to mount an aggressive campaign to ensure the triumph of her sibling Rahul Gandhi and Sharma, insiders informed PTI. With Rahul Gandhi traversing the length and breadth of India on the campaign trail, Priyanka Gandhi has shouldered the responsibility of spearheading the electoral endeavors in the two familial strongholds.
The Congress has pledged to clinch victory in Rae Bareli by a substantial margin and to wrest back Amethi, where BJP luminary Smriti Irani vanquished Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, sources disclosed.
“Priyanka Gandhi will spearhead the campaign in Amethi and Rae Bareli. She will be present in both constituencies until the conclusion of elections,” a source remarked.
Priyanka Gandhi will convene numerous ‘nukkad sabhas’, rendezvous, and door-to-door canvassing initiatives, the sources elucidated. “The epicenter will be Rae Bareli, where she will be domiciled at a guest house. From orchestrating booth management to expanding outreach, her purview will encompass all aspects,” the source remarked.
Outreach initiatives have already commenced, targeting families of freedom fighters and those with longstanding ties to the Gandhi family, the sources disclosed. Additionally, she will oversee the digital and social media blitz in the two constituencies, they added.
Multifaceted campaigns will be orchestrated at various echelons of the organization to ensure inclusivity across the two constituencies, they asserted. Priyanka Gandhi will also oversee the strategizing and scheduling of campaigns led by eminent leaders such as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.
She is slated to traverse approximately 250-300 villages, allocating equitable time to both constituencies, according to the sources. The indelible legacy established by Feroze Gandhi in Rae Bareli was subsequently nurtured and fortified by his spouse, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who triumphed from the seat in 1967, 1971, and 1980, followed by allies and members of the Gandhi dynasty.
In Amethi, after a quarter-century hiatus, a non-Gandhi contender is poised to challenge incumbent MP Irani. In the 2019 electoral fray in Amethi, Irani bested Rahul Gandhi by a margin exceeding 55,000 votes, while in Rae Bareli, Sonia Gandhi vanquished BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh by over 1,67,000 votes.
Rahul Gandhi will confront Singh, who has been renominated by the BJP. Sharma played a pivotal role in stewarding the two prestigious constituencies and served as a representative of the Gandhis in these pivotal seats. The electoral showdown in Amethi and Rae Bareli is slated for May 20, marking the fifth round of the seven-phase general election.