In a last-minute move that has raised eyebrows, the Congress party on Friday announced Rahul Gandhi as its candidate from Raebareli, the traditional bastion of the Gandhi family vacated recently by his mother Sonia Gandhi upon her transition to the Rajya Sabha.
Contrary to speculations of Rahul Gandhi making an all-out bid to reclaim Amethi, the seat he lost to the BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019, the Congress has fielded longtime Gandhi family loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma from the high-profile constituency.
The decision, announced on the last day for filing nominations for the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20, has come as a surprise, given the widespread expectation of Rahul Gandhi contesting from Amethi to regain the family stronghold.
While Rahul Gandhi and Kishori Lal Sharma will file their nominations today, the party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was widely tipped to contest from Raebareli, which she had nurtured for over a decade on her mother’s behalf, has opted out of the electoral fray.
The Congress’s move has raised concerns that Rahul Gandhi’s shift to Raebareli could play into the BJP’s hands, especially with Smriti Irani, the Union Minister who defeated him in 2019, set to defend the Amethi seat. Irani has already declared that the Congress’s delay in announcing its candidate was due to the party’s realization of an imminent defeat.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s decision not to contest has added to the party’s discomfiture, with many leaders apprehensive that it could create a negative perception and potentially impact the Congress’s performance across the remaining 330 seats it is contesting.
Sources suggest that Vadra’s reluctance stemmed from the possibility that her victory from Raebareli, along with Sonia Gandhi’s presence in the Rajya Sabha and Rahul Gandhi’s dual candidature, could reinforce the BJP’s allegations of dynasty politics.
As the Congress grapples with these strategic decisions, the focus now shifts to the high-stakes electoral battle that lies ahead, with the party hoping to regain lost ground in Uttar Pradesh and across the nation.
