As the Congress party is likely to announce its candidates for the Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies today, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the party wants Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from the seats, he assured that the grand old party will definitely not get a “jolt”. When asked about the delay being caused by the grand-old party in announcing names from two of its stronghold seats, Ramesh said that the party obviously would want both of them (Rahul and Priyanka) to contest. Still, their agreeing to contest is a different thing.
“The answer to that is unanimous. Yes. We want one thing (contest). Their agreeing to contest is a different thing. On the question of not contesting the seats impacting the party. I would say there will be disappointment, but you have to move on and continue to fight. I don't think the party will get a jolt,” Ramesh said in an interview with Deccan Herald.
Congress leader Surendra Rajput told ANI, “We are contesting the elections as per our strategy. You will get to know about our candidates from Amethi and Raebareli in some time. We are winning there, we are fully prepared. Our workers are going from village to village, city to city. The Congress Party is moving towards a major victory there”.
With just a day left for the filing of nominations for phase 5 of the Lok Sabha elections, the suspense continued over the Congress’s candidates for the Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies. Notably, Rahul Gandhi had already filed nominations from Wayanad, Kerala, and is anticipated to contest from Amethi as well, media reports suggested.
Rahul’s candidacy for Amethi, where he lost to BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019, will officially be declared today, on Thursday, with nominations scheduled for Friday, sources told news agency ANI. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is being pitched by the party workers for erstwhile Sonia Gandhi seat, as per the ANI report.
While an official announcement is awaited, both Amethi and Rae Bareli were previously strongholds for the Congress until the 2019 elections. Amethi is scheduled for polling on May 20, with the nomination deadline set for May 3.
Rahul’s defeat in Amethi in 2019 marked a major setback for the Congress, previously considered a stronghold. He had represented the constituency in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2019, following his father Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure and preceding his mother Sonia Gandhi’s term.