Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Rahul Gandhi To Contest From Raebareli
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra declined Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's plea to contest from either Amethi or Raebareli, told NDTV.
Rahul Gandhi has been selected by the central election committee of the Indian National Congress to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Raebareli seat, according to a statement from the party on Friday. The announcement comes a day after the Bharatiya Janata Party declared the candidature of Dinesh Pratap Singh from the seat.
Rahul is also contesting from the Wayanad seat in Kerala, which went to polls on April 26.
Raebareli has been a Congress family stronghold, with former party president Sonia Gandhi winning the seat four times in a row. She defeated Singh from Raebareli seat in the 2019 general elections.
Meanwhile, Congress has nominated Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi, where he will face BJP's incumbent MP Smriti Irani. She broke Rahul's three-win streak on the seat in 2019.
Rahul Gandhi and Sharma filed their nomination papers on Friday, which marks the final day for filing nominations for the seats.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra declined Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's plea to contest from either Amethi or Raebareli, NDTV reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Therefore, the responsibility of contesting from Amethi has been passed on to Sharma, their constituency in-charge.
The Congress said that Sonia Gandhi, Kharge and Priyanka Gandhi will be present in Raebareli as Rahul files his nomination for the seat.
Polling will be held on Raebareli and Amethi seats on May 20 in the fifth phase of the seven-phase general election.
(With inputs from PTI)
