Gandhis to address 'thanksgiving' public meet for Amethi, Raebareli
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi is set to address an "Aabhaar Sabha," a thanksgiving meeting for party workers from Raebareli and Amethi in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. Joining him will be Sonia Gandhi, All India Congress Committee General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, and Amethi MP KL Sharma, who will also deliver speeches at the event. This gathering on Tuesday marks the Congress party's initial engagement in the state after the announcement of the 2024 Lok Sabha election results.
Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance secures key UP seats
The party has decided to hold thanksgiving public meetings and take out thanksgiving yatras in all the 80 Lok Sabha seats from June 11 to 15 to thank voters for supporting the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance candidates in the recently concluded Parliamentary polls. The opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance won 43 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, with the Congress getting six and the Samajwadi Party securing 37 seats.
Venue shifted due to heat
Earlier the event was set to be hosted at Amethi, but has now shifted to Bhuemau Guest House in Raebareli. This change was made to avoid the intense heat. The meeting is expected to start around 3:30pm. Among the notable victories of the Congress in UP are the traditional strongholds of Amethi and Raebareli. Rahul won in Raebareli with an impressive margin of 3,90,000 votes, while Sharma regained Amethi from the Bharatiya Janata Party's Smriti Irani.
Congress's impressive performance in UP
The Congress also clinched victories in Allahabad, Barabanki, Saharanpur, and Sitapur. Notably, it triumphed in Prayagraj and Saharanpur after 40 years, while Sitapur saw a Congress MP for the first time since 1991. In Barabanki, the Congress won after 2009. The party also performed well on the 11 seats it lost. Besides finishing second, the Congress secured an average of 35% votes on these seats. Its overall vote share in UP surged from 2.5% in 2019 to 9.5% in 2024.
