Amethi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday mocked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for ‘running away’ to Rae Bareli in fear of losing to Smriti Irani and stated that the grand-old party has given up on the Amethi seat.   

The Congress' 11th hour decision came with a big twist as Rahul Gandhi ditched the Amethi seat to contest from Gandhi family's traditional Rae Bareli segment. From the Amethi segment, the Congress fielded Kishori Lal Sharma, a close-aide of Sonia Gandhi. 

BJP leader Shehzad Poonwalla questioned the Congress over the delay in announcement of candidate for Amethi and Rae Bareli and asked “All this drama and build up for what?”

“With Rahul Gandhi running away and surrendering out of Amethi and fielding somebody like KL Sharma, it is evident that Congress has given up on Amethi. They too realise that Rahul stands no chance in front of Smriti Irani,” the BJP leader said. 

'Fraud For Wayanad Voters' 

The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of frauding on the people of Wayanad, the first seat where he is contesting the Lok Sabha elections 2024. 

“So they (Congress) sent him (Rahul Gandhi) to what they consider a safer Rae Bareli! But isn’t that a complete fraud on people of Wayanad? Not that he will win in Rae Bareli but it just shows “use and throw” mindset of Congress,” said Poonwalla. 

“Rae Bareli too will reject this behaviour and opt for an MP who stays with them and doesn’t desert them,” he added. 

Taking a swipe at Congress' decision, BJP national secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that Rahul Gandhi is losing from Wayanad and that's why the party has fielded him from Rae Bareli. 

“Earlier, he accepted defeat from Amethi, now he is running away from Wayanad. The situation is such that no one from Congress wants to contest from Amethi, which was Congress' traditional seat...Rahul Gandhi will also have to leave Raebareli, and people will give him a befitting reply, he will be defeated in Raebareli too,” he said. 

Congress' 11th Hour Decision

Congress announced Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Raebareli and Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi as the party released its candidates' list on Friday. 

Notably, the announcement for two crucial seats came just ahead of the deadline of filing nomination. The two will file their nomination papers on Friday, the last date for the filing of nominations for the seats that will go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.

Both Amethi and Raebareli have been Congress bastions. But Rahul Gandhi lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi to BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani.

While Rahul Gandhi sticked to Amethi from 2004 to 2019, when he lost to BJP, Sonia Gandhi vacated the Rae Bareli seat last year after election to Rajya Sabha. She held the Congress' traditional Rae Bareli seat for 20 years from 2004 to 2024.