Raebareli BJP candidate concedes defeat to Rahul Gandhi
What's the story
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Raebareli, Dinesh Pratap Singh, has conceded defeat to Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi midway through the counting of votes. Singh posted this message on X when the vote difference between him and Gandhi surpassed one lakh. The latest figures provided by the Election Commission showed Gandhi securing 3,56,463 votes over Singh, who got 1,57,251 votes.
Post
Decision was not in our hands: Singh
"I am very thankful to all well-wishers and party members who worked tirelessly and fought the election...but the decision was not in our hands. The public is the form of God, whatever mandate they give will always be accepted with respect," he wrote. "If I have made any mistake in my thoughts, words or deeds during my service..., then I seek forgiveness," he added.
Amethi
BJP also trailing in Amethi
In Amethi, too, the BJP is trailing, with Congress loyalist KL Sharma leading by 50,758 votes over BJP candidate Smriti Irani. Raebareli, along with Amethi seats in Uttar Pradesh, are considered the family bastion of the Gandhis. Gandhi's mother, Sonia Gandhi, won the seats five times in a row in 2004, 2006 (bypoll), 2009, 2014, and 2019.
Wayanad
Gandhi leading in Wayanad
Gandhi, who is also contesting the Wayanad seat in Kerala, is leading there as well. He won the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad with 706,367 votes. Notably, the Wayanad constituency, which spans across Wayanad district and parts of Malappuram and Kozhikode districts, has been a Congress bastion since it was designated as a Lok Sabha constituency after the delimitation exercise in 2008.