Decision On Raebareli, Amethi Lok Sabha Seats In Next 24 Hours, Says Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh

Lok Sabha Elections: In April, the Congress held a Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting to discuss the candidates for the remaining seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.

Source : PTI

Lok Sabha Elections: In a major development pertaining to the announcement of candidates for the highly anticipated Amethi and Raebareli Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Wednesday that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will soon be finalising the candidates for the two seats. The two Lok Sabha seats hold importance as they are the bastions of the Congress Party.

While addressing a press conference at AICC headquarters in the national capital, Jairam Ramesh said, "CEC has authorised the Congress President for Raebareli and Amethi and he will take the decision soon and you will know officially in the next 24 to 30 hours."

Last month, the grand old party held a Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting to discuss the candidates for the remaining seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

A proposal was given from the UP Congress to the CEC that the Gandhi family should contest the Amethi and Raibareli seats, and the decision was left to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, ANI reported, citing sources.

Rahul Gandhi lost to the BJP's Smriti Irani in Amethi in the 2019 elections, a constituency he had been representing for 15 years.

Earlier on Monday, Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani filed her nomination papers for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh. She exuded confidence that people would bless the saffron party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the elections.

"It is an absolute honour that the BJP and the senior leaders of the party have given me support for my candidature from Amethi. Because of the positive contribution of PM Modi towards Amethi, in the last 5 years in Amethi, 1.14 lakh homes, 4 lakh toilets, 3.5 lakh water connections were provided and 1.5 lakh families received electricity connections... There are many works that PM Modi has helped deliver to the people of Amethi," she said, as quoted by ANI.

On being asked about Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's candidature from Amethi and Raebareli, Irani said that she can contest against anybody only if there is a candidate against her. "I don't have a candidate against me, I can only contest if there is a candidate against me, " she said.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is vying for a second term in Parliament from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency after securing a victory there during the 2019 polls. Lok Sabha elections are set to be held across India in seven phases between April 19 to June 1. The counting of votes will take place on June 4.