(Image source from: Twitter.com/priyankagandhi)
After weeks of speculation, the Congress party has finally revealed their candidates for the traditional Gandhi family seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. However, there is a twist to this year's elections. Senior leader Rahul Gandhi has decided to contest from Rae Bareli, a safer seat than Amethi where he lost to Union Minister Smriti Irani in 2019. His sister, AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, will not be contesting at all. The announcement was made on the last day of filing nominations for the two seats, which are scheduled to go to polls on May 20. The Congress party has fielded Kishorilal Sharma, an influential representative of the Nehru-Gandhi family in Amethi and Rae Bareli for over two decades. This will be the first time in 25 years that a member of the Gandhi family will not be contesting from Amethi. Sonia Gandhi made her electoral debut from the area in 1999, a year after she became the Congress president. In 2004, she moved to Rae Bareli, paving the way for Rahul to make his electoral debut from Amethi. Party insiders claim that Rahul's decision to switch to Rae Bareli was due to the fact that Amethi is no longer a safe family seat after the loss in 2019.
Opting out of the Amethi constituency, which was contested and lost in the previous election, seems to be a wise decision for Rahul Gandhi and his family. Although it may draw criticism for "fleeing" from Smriti Irani, the family's connection to Rae Bareli is much stronger, both personally and historically. The decision was not easy, but the fear of losing again in Amethi and the potential impact on the Congress's chances in the 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala played a significant role. Priyanka was initially asked to contest, but she declined. Eventually, Rahul gave in to the party's overwhelming view that the Gandhis should not avoid contesting from the Hindi heartland. The Congress announced Rahul's candidacy hours after the BJP revealed their candidate for Rae Bareli. Dinesh Pratap Singh, who ran in 2019, will be their representative. Smriti Irani has already filed her nomination for Amethi.
He was able to cut Sonia's 2014 majority in half. The Congress decided against having both Rahul and Priyanka run for office because if they both won and joined Sonia in Parliament, it would give the BJP a chance to criticize the Congress for promoting a dynasty.
