Rahul, Priyanka unlikely to contest from Amethi, Raebareli seats, say sources as Lok Sabha nomination deadline looms

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is unlikely to contest the Lok Sabha Elections from the Raebareli seat in Uttar Pradesh, reports said. Priyanka will instead focus on campaigning for the party nationwide, a report in India Today said. 

Priyanka has not contested any elections so far. 

Sources have said that Priyanka’s brother, Rahul Gandhi, is also unlikely to contest from the Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh amid speculation over the Congress candidates for the two party bastions. 

Amethi and Raebareli seats will go to the polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20. The last day for filing nominations for the seats in the fifth phase is May 3.  The report said that a final decision on the Congress candidates for the two seats will be announced in a day or two.

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In the 2019 polls, Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi to Union Minister Smriti Irani. Rahul, however, contested Lok Sabha Elections 2024 from Wayanad, a seat he won with a considerable margin in 2019 too. Voting in Wayanad, Kerala was held in the second phase on April 26.

The Raebareli seat was represented by Rahul-Priyanka’s mother, Sonia Gandhi. However, Sonia chose to be a Rajya Sabha member and opted out of the Lok Sabha race. 

On April 29, the Congress party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) reportedly authorised party chief Mallikarjun Kharge to decide the candidates for the two constituencies. The Uttar Pradesh Congress unit has urged the top party leadership to field Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the two seats. But, the sources said, Gandhi's family, is not keen. 

Also Read: BJP, allies won 100+ seats in first two phases of Lok Sabha Elections: Amit Shah

The Congress is contesting elections for Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha seats in alliance with the Samajwadi Party. The Congress has got 17 of the 80 seats from UP while the remaining have been distributed among Samajwadi Party and other allies.

The last phase of the Lok Sabha Election will be held on June 1. The results will be declared on June 4.