Modi's 'daro mat, bhago mat' jibe at Rahul's Raebareli move
After the Congress named Rahul Gandhi as its candidate from the Raebareli seat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took a jibe at the opposition party's decision. Addressing a rally in Bardhaman-Durgapur, West Bengal, Modi said, "He [Rahul] is so scared of Amethi that he is running towards Raebareli." To recall, Gandhi represented the Amethi seat from 2004, serving as its MP for three consecutive terms until 2019 when he was defeated by the Bharatiya Janata Party's Smriti Irani.
Modi questions Sonia Gandhi's parliamentary entry
The PM also hit out at Rahul's mother, Sonia Gandhi, for her decision to enter the Parliament through the Rajya Sabha instead of contesting Lok Sabha elections. "I had already said...[the Congress's] biggest leader will not dare to fight elections...she ran away to Rajasathan...and came to Rajya Sabha," he said. "I had already said that the Shehzada was going to lose in Wayanad...he would start looking for another seat...Today I tell them, 'Daro Mat, Bhago Mat.'"
Congress picks Rahul Gandhi from Raebareli, KL Sharma from Amethi
After weeks of deliberations and talks, the Congress on Friday named Rahul as its candidate from the traditional Gandhi family seat of Raebareli. In its announcement, the Congress also nominated Kishori Lal Sharma, a prominent figure associated with the Nehru-Gandhi family for more than two decades, as its candidate from Amethi. Both the candidates will file their nomination today—the last day for the seats to go to polls on May 20 in the fifth phase of the seven-phase general elections.
Irani, Dinesh Pratap Singh to contest from Amethi, Raebareli respectively
While the BJP's Irani is seeking re-election from Amethi, the saffron party has fielded former Congress leader Dinesh Pratap Singh as its candidate for Raebareli. In the 2019 elections, Singh contested for the same seat but was defeated by Sonia. Despite his defeat in the 2019 Raebareli election, Singh set a record for receiving the highest number of votes by any BJP candidate ever.
Rahul in Raebareli to file nomination papers
Meanwhile, Rahul reached Raebareli on Friday along with Sonia and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, brother-in-law Robert Vadra, and top Congress leaders Ashok Gehlot and KC Venugopal to file his nomination papers. The group landed at Fursatgunj airfield where they were joined by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. Rahul is expected to hold a roadshow in the constituency.
