After days of suspense and denials, Congress AICC in its press release has revealed that Rahul Gandhi is to contest from Rae Bareli. The family pocket borough of Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will file his nomination for the Lok Sabha elections. The same seat was earlier vacated by Sonia Gandhi who later filed her nomination for Rajya Sabha from Jaipur. While the Gandhi family’s partisan Kishori Lal Sharma will contest from Amethi.
Congress releases another list of candidates for the upcoming #LokSabhaElections2024
Rahul Gandhi to contest from Raebareli and Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi. pic.twitter.com/2w4QQcn9ok
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2024
These two seats which people used to consider as the bastions of the Gandhi Family will go to polls on May 20th.
Interestingly, the news comes at 11th hour from Congress on the last day of filing nominations. It has already set social media on a buzz. Apparently, Priyanka Gandhi could not be convinced to contest from Bareli which she claims to have nursed on her mother’s behalf. While preparations are underway in Rae Bareli to welcome Rahul Gandhi. Some have started calling Rahul Gandhi’s move as chickening out of Amethi. Some of these posts are-
So it's confirmed now. Rahul Gandhi to contest from Raibareli instead of Amethi. He couldn't get courage to face @smritiirani ji again..l
"Daro Mat" ×
"Sirf Daro Mat, Bhago bhi" ✓🤣🤣#FattuPappu pic.twitter.com/bkt1MSVqSP— Mr Sinha (Modi's family) (@MrSinha_) May 3, 2024
भागते जाओ भागते जाओ 🤣🤣
कभी अमेठी कभी वायनाड तो कभी रायबरेली pic.twitter.com/GS3ZHMyghD— 🇲 🅰️🇯 🇳 ⛎ 👨🎤 ~ 🇮🇳ॐ🚩~ (@SANATANI_YADAV_) May 3, 2024
KL Sharma, however, seemed surprised when ANI sought his reaction to the freshly released candidate list. He was seen refusing to comment and said that he will comment only after talks with the party leadership on the same.
#WATCH | Congress leader and candidate from Amethi, Kishori Lal Sharma's first reaction after the official announcement of the list of party candidates for the upcoming #LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/MjSHkkjjF6
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2024
BJP national spokesperson Shri Shehzad Poonawalla took to X and posted-
Daro Mat kehte kehte Amethi se LADHO MAT
Congress has now confirmed that its 80/80 for BJP-NDA in UP & 400 paar for NDA when even the first family shows no courage to fight in Amethi!
With Rahul Gandhi running away and surrendering out of Amethi & fielding somebody like KL… pic.twitter.com/s2zgjeihAC
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) May 3, 2024
Now, Rahul Gandhi, who is already contesting from Wayanad is going to contest against BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh in Bareli.
Up until now he has represented the Amethi constituency three times: in 2004, 2009, and 2014. However in 2019, he lost to Smriti Irani of the BJP who took over his family’s stronghold and has been working relentlessly there.