The Congress’ decision to maintain the political intrigue over potential candidates for the Lok Sabha seats in Rae Bareli and Amethi is developing into a puzzle that most political pundits or leaders may need to figure out. And this might come as a shock when the suspense eventually lifts.
When asked whether Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would run for the Congress seat in 2024 from Rae Bareli or Amethi, which are seen as Congress bastions up until the 2019 elections when Rahul Gandhi lost to Union minister Smriti Irani, Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge recently said, “You will get some sort of surprise in Rae Bareli and Amethi.”
There are just four days remaining to file nomination papers before Rae Bareli and Amethi cast their votes in the fifth phase on May 20 (May 3).
Sonia Gandhi, the lone Congress member from Uttar Pradesh to win a Lok Sabha seat in 2019, has now moved from Rajasthan to the Rajya Sabha.
Sent on February 14, 2024, Sonia Gandhi wrote to the residents of Rae Bareli, saying, “I will not fight the next Lok Sabha election due to my increasing age and health considerations… As you have been doing for myself and my family thus far, I have no doubt that you will look after us in trying times.
It has been speculated that Sonia’s plea for people to look out for her family is a sign that a Gandhi family member may run for office.
“Yes, Sonia Gandhi sufficiently hinted in her letter that a Gandhi family member will run for office. Pankaj Tiwari, the head of the Rae Bareli District Congress Committee, stated, “We are confident that a member of the Gandhi family, whether it be Priyanka Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, would run for office from the seat.
Former MLC and senior Congress leader from Amethi, Deepak Singh, expressed his confidence that Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi will run for office from Amethi.
The party leaders claim that the suspense would be resolved in a day or two, although several probabilities with permutations and combinations are currently in circulation. After learning about the Congress’s pick in Rae Bareli, the BJP—which has once again put forth Union Minister Smriti Irani of Amethi—seems to be closely observing the Congress action and may choose its own candidate.
Last week, Samajwadi Party head Akhilesh Yadav gave the Kannauj problem a fresh twist by implying that Rahul Gandhi would run for election from Uttar Pradesh.
According to, Akhilesh Yadav responded, “Sab aayenge ab toh (Everyone will come now), mehfil toh ab U.P. mein hi sajegi (the gathering will be in Uttar Pradesh only),” when asked if his friend Rahul Gandhi would travel to Amethi to run in the election.
Rahul Gandhi stated that the Congress Central Election Committee will make a choice regarding the party’s candidates for Rae Bareli and Amethi, and he will abide by the party’s decision, at the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance’s maiden press conference in Ghaziabad on April 17.
“Yes, all sets of possibilities are open. Besides the possibility of Priyanka Gandhi being fielded from Rae Bareli and Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, there are also indications that only one of the two leaders (Priyanka and Rahul) will contest the poll from U.P. Priyanka Gandhi may be a party candidate either from Rae Bareli or from Amethi. Rahul Gandhi may also be fielded either from Amethi or Rae Bareli. Another possibility being discussed is that the two leaders may opt out of entering the poll fray from Uttar Pradesh,” said many senior U.P. Congress leaders on condition of anonymity.
Amethi and Rae Bareli are esteemed seats in the Congress. For this reason, the party finds it difficult to decide between the two candidates for the two seats. It’s possible that Rahul Gandhi may run in the election from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi from Rae Bareli. After the Congress announces its choice, the BJP will choose its candidate for Rae Bareli, according to Professor SK Dwivedi, a former head of Lucknow University’s political science department.
