Rahul Gandhi to Follow Congress Party's Decision on Amethi or Rae Bareli Candidacy

Rahul Gandhi, the senior Congress leader, has pledged to abide by the party's decision regarding his candidacy for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in either Amethi or Rae Bareli constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi made these remarks during a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on April 17, 2024.

Gandhi emphasized that in the Congress party, decisions on candidate selection are made by the Central Election Committee (CEC) and that he will follow the party's orders. Both Amethi and Rae Bareli are considered bastions of the Gandhi family, and the local units of the Congress have demanded that the two scions of the family contest from these seats.

The Congress has forged an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The party has announced candidates for 15 of these seats but has not yet named candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli.

Gandhi expressed confidence in the INDIA bloc's performance, saying there is a strong undercurrent in its favor and that the BJP will be limited to around 150 seats. He accused the RSS and BJP of trying to destroy the Constitution and the democratic system, while the INDIA alliance and Congress party are trying to defend and protect them.

Gandhi has already filed his nomination from Kerala's Wayanad constituency after securing victory there in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, but lost the Amethi seat to BJP's Smriti Irani. There is speculation that Gandhi might contest from Amethi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra might contest from Rae Bareli, which was previously held by their mother, Sonia Gandhi.

Earlier, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh had expressed the party's hope that Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi from Rae Bareli. However, Congress Working Committee member AK Antony later confirmed that either Priyanka or Rahul will contest from either of these two constituencies.

The Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held in seven phases starting April 19, and the counting of votes will be on June 4. Both Amethi and Wayanad will go to polls on April 26.

In the concluding remarks at the press conference, Gandhi reiterated his commitment to following the party's decision on his candidacy. He expressed confidence in the Congress party's alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and their prospects in the upcoming elections. The final decision on the candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli is expected to be announced by the Congress party's Central Election Committee in the coming days.

Key Takeaways

• Rahul Gandhi pledges to abide by Congress party's decision on his candidacy for Amethi or Rae Bareli.
• Congress has forged an alliance with Samajwadi Party in UP, contesting 17 seats, including Amethi and Rae Bareli.
• Gandhi expresses confidence in INDIA bloc's performance, expects BJP to be limited to around 150 seats.
• Gandhi has filed nomination from Wayanad, speculation he may contest from Amethi, Priyanka from Rae Bareli.
• Lok Sabha polls scheduled from April 19, Amethi and Wayanad to vote on April 26.