New Delhi: The Congress workers in Uttar Pradesh express "confidence" that either former party president Rahul Gandhi or general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest the Lok Sabha elections from either Amethi or Raebareli, party state unit chief Ajay Rai said on Sunday.
The Congress state president's statement comes a day after Congress released a list of nine candidates from UP, excluding the names for Amethi or Raebareli seats, traditionally considered family strongholds of the Nehru-Gandhis.
Rai, who has been fielded from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, informed PTI that party members have consistently urged the leadership to nominate Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi from Raebareli.
"Though we are confident, one thing is certain that at least one of the two will contest the election on one of these two seats," Rai said.
He emphasized that it's a heartfelt desire of party leaders and workers for Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to contest elections from Amethi and Raebareli, respectively. However, the final decision rests with the party leadership, he added, as per the PTI report.
Addressing inquiries about the potential candidacy of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi from Amethi and Raebareli, Rai explained, "If the party has not yet declared the candidates on these two seats, it means that the demand of the party workers is being considered."
He further disclosed that the names for the remaining eight seats in Uttar Pradesh, including Amethi and Raebareli, will be revealed after Holi.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also responded to queries on whether Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest Amethi and Rae Bareli seats respectively. He said, "Rahul Gandhi had said that he is a loyal soldier of the party and if the CEC asks him to contest, he will do so."
Asked whether the Congress was looking beyond Rahul Gandhi's leadership, Ramesh said the Gandhi scion is there and is leading the organisation and has undertaken the Bharat Jodo Yatras, which no other leader in the country has, reported PTI.
The Congress, as part of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, is contesting 17 seats in UP. Its initial list, declared on Saturday, includes Imran Masood from Saharanpur, Danish Ali from Amroha, Ramnath Sikarwar from Fatehpur Sikri, Alok Mishra from Kanpur, Pradeep Jain Aditya from Jhansi, Tanuj Punia from Barabanki, Akhilesh Pratap Singh from Deoria, and Sadan Prasad from Bansgaon, besides Ajay Rai.
