24 hours to deadline, Congress to announce Amethi, Raebareli candidates
The Congress will release the names of its candidates for Amethi and Raebareli constituencies in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday—a day before the nomination deadline. According to reports, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge will make the announcement today. This comes a day after General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that there has been no delay by the party in announcing the candidates, amid speculations over the candidature for the two seats.
Why does this story matter?
The two seats have long association with the Nehru-Gandhi family. Former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Indira's son and Congress leader Sanjay Gandhi, former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and Congress leaders Feroze Gandhi and Arun Nehru have all got elected from either of these two seats in their political career. The Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.
Raebareli and Amethi contests
Rahul represented the Amethi seat from 2004, serving as its MP for three consecutive terms until 2019 when he was defeated by the BJP's Smriti Irani. Separately, ahead of the elections, Sonia, the MP for Raebareli, announced that due to health concerns and age, she would not be contesting this time.
Rahul and Priyanka likely nominees
There's speculation that Rahul might run in Raebareli rather than Amethi. However, reports suggest that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is eager for the Raebareli seat, pending the party's final decision. Currently, Rahul represents the Wayanad constituency in Kerala, which he contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. Rahul is also seeking re-election from Wayanad—which went to polls in the second phase of the elections. A decision on whether he will contest from another seat is pending.
Vadra to enter fray?
To recall, there have been reports that posters projecting Robert Vadra, husband of Priyanka Gandhi, as a potential candidate for the seat have surfaced in Amethi. These posters were spotted near the Congress party office last month. The posters carry the slogan "Amethi ki janta kare pukar, Robert Vadra ab ki baar," which translates to "the people of Amethi want Robert Vadra this time." Vadra, himself, had previously hinted at a potential entry into politics.
