Rahul Gandhi kept the suspense on over his candidature from the high-profile Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh, saying the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) takes such decisions for the Lok Sabha elections. During a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi was asked whether he will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi or Rae Bareli. “This is BJP's question, very good.
Whatever order I will get, I will follow it. In our party, all these (selections of candidates) decisions are taken by the CEC," the former Congress president replied. His response came amid talk that Rahul Gandhi, who has been renominated from Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, may also contest elections from Amethi.
Rahul Gandhi has won Amethi three consecutive times since 2004. However, in 2019 elections, Union Minister Smriti Irani wrested the Amethi constituency by a margin of 55,000 votes. Also Read | Live updates on Lok Sabha Elections 2024 On the other hand, speculation is rife that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra might make her poll debut from Rae Bareli this year.
In Rae Bareli, The Indian Express reported that BJP and Congress are almost in the same boat, with both waiting for each others candidates. Sonia Gandhi had won the Rae Bareli seat in 2019, defeating BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh, a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government, by over 1.67 lakh votes. In Rae Bareli, Congress supporters seems to have made peace with Sonia Gandhi's absence, attributing it to her ill health.
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