Priyanka to debut from Raebareli, Rahul Gandhi to reclaim Amethi
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to enter the electoral fray from Raebareli, NDTV reported, citing party sources. The development follows Sonia Gandhi's decision not to run for re-election from the Congress stronghold in Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka's grandmother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, had won from Raebareli thrice. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi will seek to reclaim the Amethi seat he lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Smriti Irani in 2019, while also running for re-election in Wayanad, Kerala.
Why does this story matter?
Both Raebareli and Amethi are Congress strongholds. Rahul represented Amethi from 2002 until 2019, when he lost to Irani by a margin of over 55,000 votes. The Congress had also won the Raebareli seat in every Lok Sabha elections except three (1977, 1996, and 1998). Sonia won the Raebareli seat five times in the past, including in 2019. Vadra's entry into the electoral fray can be seen as an attempt to carry on her family's legacy.
Posters in Raebareli urge Priyanka to contest
According to reports, the major electoral change in Congress came after Sonia stepped back from the Lok Sabha and moved to the Rajya Sabha. Moreover, Priyanka's striking resemblance to Indira may have played a role. This week, posters in Raebareli called for Priyanka to be named the Congress candidate for the coveted seat. "Take Congress' development work forward, Raebareli is calling...Priyanka Gandhi ji, please come," reads the posters.
High-profile contests between BJP, Congress
The final selection of candidates, however, will be revealed in the coming days after the party convenes a meeting to determine the party's candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The BJP has also yet to reveal its candidate for Raebareli. In 2019, Dinesh Pratap Singh lost the seat by over 1.8 lakh votes. The saffron party also announced that Irani will defend her Amethi seat against Rahul, setting up one of two high-profile contests in Uttar Pradesh.
Symbolic Rahul-Irani faceoff in Amethi last month
Last month, when Rahul's "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra" entered Amethi, Irani challenged him. "In 2019 he left Amethi. Today Amethi has left him. If he is confident then without going to Wayanad...let him fight from Amethi," she told NDTV. Both the rival leaders visited the high-profile constituency and addressed people at their respective rallies. This was a rare occasion when the two political heavyweights were in Amethi on the same day.
