The Congress’s impromptu, after-midnight decision on Amethi and Raebareli had a noteworthy twist. Rahul Gandhi, whose mother Sonia Gandhi recently left vacant when she moved to the Rajya Sabha, has been named by the party as the candidate from Raebareli. It is expected that Rahul Gandhi will launch a determined campaign to recapture Amethi.
As the Congressman for the Gandhi family in Amethi, the family stronghold that joined the BJP five years ago, KL Sharma is a dedicated Gandhian. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was not persuaded to run from Raebareli, the seat she had been fighting for her mother for over a decade.
Today is the final day to submit nominations for the May 20 Fifth Phase of the election, and both candidates will do so.
The Congress decision was announced on Friday after weeks of suspense.
There is concern that the switch of seat for Rahul Gandhi could play into BJP hands, given Union minister Smriti Irani’s victory of 2019 in Amethi. The senior BJP leader is all set to defend the seat and has declared that the Congress delay was the result of cold feet, in view of her imminent victory.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV earlier this week, she said the leadership “is aware that this is a losing seat for them, because if they were so confident of their victory, they would have announced their candidate by now”.
Ms Vadra’s decision not to contest could add to the party’s discomfiture. Many leaders of the Congress suspect that it could create a negative perception that may add reflect on the outcome of the election across the country. Polling on 353 seats is still left, of which the Congress is contesting on 330 seats.
According to sources, Ms. Vadra was reluctant because, with her victory over Raebareli, the BJP’s accusations of dynasty politics might be strengthened because all three of them would be members of parliament. Rahul Gandhi ran from Wayanad in Kerala, and Sonia Gandhi is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Should Mr. Gandhi win in both Raebareli and Wayanad, the party might find itself in a bind as he would have to give up one of the two seats that are equally his.
If Wayanad is a Congress stronghold that had sent him to the Lok Sabha after Amethi had declined, then Raebareli is the long-standing family stronghold. However, the Congress can cross that bridge at a later time.
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