Rahul returns to ght in U.P., chooses Rae Bareli
The Congress has only lost thrice in Rae Bareli, considered a ‘safer bet’ for Rahul; the party says this is part of a larger strategy, while BJP leaders accuse him of ‘running away’ from Amethi
ours before the deadline for ling nominations, the Congress announced on Friday morning that it would eld its former president Rahul Gandhi from Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli constituency, and Gandhi family loyalist K.L. Sharma from Amethi, ending the long suspense over who would contest from the family’s stronghold.
Though this brings Mr. Gandhi back into the battle for the Hindi heartland, it evoked a range of responses, from Congress leaders terming it a masterstroke, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leaders accusing him of “running away” from Amethi.
Mr. Gandhi — accompa
Hnied by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, his mother Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, brother-in-law Robert Vadra, and party general secretary K.C. Venugopal — led his nomination for the seat, describing it as an “emotional” moment. His mother had held the seat till February, when she resigned after winning a Rajya Sabha election from Rajasthan.
With Rae Bareli, Mr. Gandhi has avoided a rematch with Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani in Amethi. After winning the seat thrice in a row since his electoral debut from Amethi in 2004, he lost to Ms. Irani in the 2019 general election. Rae Bareli, which the Congress has lost only thrice in the past, is considered a safer bet.
Countering the criticism this move has generated, Mr. Gandhi claimed that Amethi and Rae Bareli are not “di¡erent” and voters in both constituencies are his “family”. “I am happy that Kishori Lal ji, who has been serving the area for 40 years, will represent the party from Amethi. In the ongoing ght for justice against injustice, I seek the love and blessings of my loved ones. I am condent that all of you stand with me in this ght to save the Constitution and democracy,” he wrote on X.