Ajay Rai, the head of the Uttar Pradesh Congress, appeared to downplay his earlier assertion that Rahul Gandhi would “definitely” run in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi. He stated that this was the demand of the constituents. Yesterday, Mr. Rai was appointed as the state Congress’s president.
The new state chief responded to a question from a reporter earlier in the day by saying, “Rahul Gandhi will definitely contest the Lok Sabha election from Amethi, the people of Amethi are here.”
Hours later, when the same subject was posed to him, Mr. Rai’s response was slightly different. He stated that “the Amethi residents and Congress workers are saying that they want to repair their error and deliver a significant victory for Rahul Gandhi.
Prodded further and asked whether Mr Gandhi wanted to contest from the seat, he reiterated, “This is the demand of the people and the workers.”
In a huge upset, Mr Gandhi, who had been elected as an MP from the family bastion of Amethi thrice since 2004, had lost to the BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019. He had contested from Wayanad in Kerala as well, and won by a big margin.
Mr Rai claimed the people of Amethi are now upset. “Smriti Irani had promised them sugar at ₹ 13 a kg if they voted for her and the BJP. They are now wondering where that sugar went.”
In a statement earlier that day, Mr. Rai, who had run unsuccessfully in Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, added, “If Priyanka Gandhi says she wants to run from Varanasi, every single worker will work tirelessly for her.”
Yesterday, Mr. Rai was elected to lead the Congress in Uttar Pradesh in lieu of Dalit leader Brijlal Khabri.
