Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Will Rahul Gandhi contest from Amethi too and Priyanka pick Rae Bareli? Congress leader says…
Rahul Gandhi hints at contesting from Amethi or Rae Bareli for Lok Sabha elections, leaving the decision to party's Central Election Committee. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's likely debut from Rae Bareli is also doing the rounds.
Congress leader 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.
On April 12, Smriti Irani had criticized Rahul Gandhi for ignoring the people of Amethi and questioned his commitment to the constituency.
“You all must have seen that Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination and declared in writing that Wayanad is his family. It was okay till there. Then we heard from a leader of Karnataka that Rahul Gandhi said the people of Wayanad are more loyal," the BJP leader charged.
Catch all the live action on Elections and get exclusive coverage on Assembly Election Results 2024 with Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.