Congress to Announce Amethi and Rae Bareli Candidates Amid Speculation of Gandhi Siblings Contesting

The Congress party is expected to announce its candidates for the Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh within the next 24-30 hours, amid speculation that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may contest from these constituencies. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that the party leadership is seized of the matter and a decision will be announced at an appropriate time.

The Amethi and Rae Bareli seats have a long association with the Nehru-Gandhi family, with several family members having represented these constituencies in the past. The Amethi seat was previously represented by Rahul Gandhi for three consecutive terms until 2019, when he was defeated by BJP's Smriti Irani. The Rae Bareli constituency was held by Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2024.

Congress workers in Amethi have held a sit-in requesting that a Gandhi family member be fielded as the party's candidate from the constituency. The state leadership of the Congress party has urged the central election committee to field Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Rae Bareli.

However, reports suggest that Rahul Gandhi is 'unwilling' to contest the elections from either Amethi or Rae Bareli, and he does not want any family member to contest from these seats. The Congress president, Mallikarjun Kharge, is still trying to convince Rahul Gandhi, but it appears that his mind is made up. "Rahul Gandhi had almost agreed to fight from Rae Bareli until the last minute, but later decided against it," a Congress official said.

The Congress party is contesting the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha seats in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, with the Congress getting 17 of the 80 seats. The Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies are scheduled to go to polls on May 20 in the 5th round of the seven-phase general elections. The last day for filing nominations for the fifth phase is May 3.

Why this matters: The absence of a Nehru-Gandhi family member in the Uttar Pradesh elections could send a negative political message for the Congress party. The Amethi and Rae Bareli seats are considered traditional strongholds of the Gandhi family, and winning them back has more than symbolic value for the party.

As the deadline for filing nominations approaches, the Congress leadership is making <a href="https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/raebareliamethi-elections-last-ditch-attempts-on-convince-rahul-priy

Key Takeaways

• Congress to announce Amethi, Rae Bareli candidates in 24-30 hours.
• Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi may contest from these seats.
• Rahul Gandhi 'unwilling' to contest from Amethi or Rae Bareli.
• Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance for UP Lok Sabha seats.
• Absence of Nehru-Gandhi in UP polls could impact Congress.