Rahul Gandhi From Amethi, Priyanka From Rae Bareli? Congress Proposes Names For Key Seats

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Sonia Gandhi, who won from the Rae Bareli in 2009, 2014 and 2019, vacated the seat this time as she went to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.

The Congress party is today holding a crucial meet to finalise candidates some crucial Lok Sabha seats including Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. The party is likely to field Rahul Gandhi from Amethi while Priyanka Gandhi from Rae Bareli. While the BJP has renominated Smriti Irani from Amethi, it's yet to announce its candidate from Rae Bareli. Sonia Gandhi, who won from the Rae Bareli in 2009, 2014 and 2019, vacated the seat this time as she went to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. If Congress fields Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, it will be her first political contest ever. While she has been handling campaigning for the party for more than 10 years, she has not been fielded by the party so far. The Congress Election Committee today discussed the proposal to nominate these two leaders from the UP seats and a formal decision is likely soon. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to make the formal announcement in a day or two.

This will set the stage for a high-voltage battle in Amethi where giant killer Smriti Irani will once again take on Rahul Gandhi. All eyes are also now on the BJP to see whom the party fields from Rae Bareli. Both the seats will go to the polls on May 20 in the fifth phase. 

Rae Bareli Seat History

Rae Bareli has been the stronghold of the Congress party. In 1952 and 1957, Feroz Gandhi won the seat. After his death, Indira Gandhi contested the seat in 1967, 1971, 1977 and 1980 winning on three occasions except for the 1977 polls after the emergency.

After Indira Gandhi's murder, the seat remained with Nehru-Gandhi family members. In 1996 and 1998, the BJP bagged the seat. However, the Congress snatched the seat back in 1999. In 2004, Sonia Gandhi shifted to Rae Bareli from Amethi and retained the seat in 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2019. However, the Congress party's vote percentage slipped to around 55 per cent in 2019 from around 72 per cent in 2009. On the other hand, the BJP's vote share increased to 38 per cent in 2019 from just around 3 per cent in 2009.

Amethi Seat History

The Gandhi family first contested from Amethi in 1977 but Sanjay Gandhi lost the seat. However, he bagged the seat in 1980. After he died in a plane crash, Rajiv Gandhi bagged the seat in 1981. Rajiv retained the seat in 1984, 1989 and 1991. After his murder, the 1991 by-poll, 1996 and 1998 Amethi elections were won by the family's close confidants. Sonia Gandhi first contested from the Amethi seat in 1999 and won the poll. Rahul Gandhi bagged the seat in 2004, 2009 and 2014. He lost to Smriti Irani in 2019 but won from Kerala's Wayanad. Just like Rae Bareli, the Congress vote share has also decreased at the Amethi seat from 71.8 per cent in 2009 to 43.9 per cent in 2019. On the other hand, the BJP which got 5.8% votes in 2009, increased its vote share to 49% in 2019. 

Why Rahul And Priyanka?

The Congress party has been facing a leadership crisis in Uttar Pradesh. After Rahul Gandhi's 2019 defeat and Sonia Gandhi's exit from Rae Bareli, the Congress cadre has been feeling demoralised. Even the BJP was targeting the Congress party over these issues. The nomination of Rahul and Priyanka from these two seats will not only boost the morale of the cadre but will also send out a message that they are taking the BJP head-on. This will give the Congress party a much-needed boost to the party in Uttar Pradesh, which is often considered key to power in Delhi as the state has 80 Lok Sabha seats.