Fear or Strategy? How Congress Kept Up Suspense Over Amethi and Rae Bareli Till Last Day

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Congress party announced its candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli seats on Friday, keeping up the suspense till the last day of filing nomination for the fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections. Amethi and Rae Bareli are considered as traditional pocket boroughs of the Gandhi-Nehru family as its members have represented the seats for several decades. 

Both Amethi and Raebareli constituencies go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections and May 3 is the last date to file nominations. The Lok Sabha polls are being held in seven phases starting April 19. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4. The Congress has forged an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

Want Rahul From Amethi, Priyanka From Rae Bareli: Ramesh 

Speculations were rife that Congress may field Rahul Gandhi from Amethi seat in this Lok Sabha elections, while it is being said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may make her political debut from Rae Bareli as sitting MP Sonia Gandhi has moved to Rajya Sabha. 

Addressing the speculations, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the party wants Rahul Gandhi to contest from Amethi and Priyanka from Rae Bareli, adding that it will be their own decision. Ramesh said that both the leaders are busy with campaign as they are the star campaigners of the Congress party. 

“We want Rahul Gandhi to contest from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi from Raebareli but they have to hold election campaigns across the country. Both of them are our star campaigners but the CEC, Congress organization, and Congress workers want Rahul Gandhi to contest from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi from Raebareli but it is their personal choice. They have to decide,” said Ramesh, as quoted by ANI. 

He said that the party will announce its candidates by today evening. “CEC has given the entire responsibility to the party president and I believe there will be an official announcement by the evening today,” he said. 

Amethi, Rae Bareli: Long-Held Gandhi Bastions

Lok Sabha seats like Amethi, Rae Bareli, Pilibhit in Uttar Praedesh were considered as 'safe-seats' for the members of Gandhi family. Amethi was represented by Rahul Gandhi from 2004 till 2019, when he was defeated by Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani.

Rahul Gandhi, in 2019 elections, also fought from the Wayanad constituency in Kerala and won from there. This time too, Rahul is contesting from Wayanad as the INDI alliance candidate. Wayanad voted on April 26 in the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.

Rae Bareli was the lone seat which Congress won in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, while the BJP swept the state. Earlier held by Feroze and Indira, Sonia Gandhi won from Rae Bareli. Sonia Gandhi made her political debut in 1999 after taking over as the president of the Congress party. She contested from Amethi Lok Sabha seat and secured victory. In 2004, she shifted to Rae Bareli and has been has been representing it since then.

BJP Questions Congress Over Delay in Announcement

Prime Minister Modi, during a recent election rally, alleged that the Congress party will announce its candidate for Amethi after April 26. Wayanad will go to polls on April 26, in the second phase, from where Rahul Gandhi is contesting. PM alleged that declaring candiature from the north seat would damage Gandhi's prospects in Wayanad, thinks Congress and is hence delaying the announcement.

No One is Scared, Decision Soon: Congress

Responding to BJP's attack, the Congress party said that it will soon declare the candidates for the Amethi and Rae Bareli seats. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that party's central election committee (CEC) has empowered Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to finalise the candidates for Amethi and Rarbareli.

"My expectation is that in the next 24-30 hours, the Congress president will finalise and a decision taken by him will be announced," Ramesh said in response to a question at a press conference at the AICC headquarters.

Asked why there is delay in taking a decision and if the Congress was "scared" in fielding Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Ramesh said, "There is no delay. Has the BJP not announced its candidates in Raebareli? Smriti Irani is a sitting MP. Nobody is scared, discussions are ongoing, the Congress president has been authorized." "There is no delay, there is time till May 3," he said.

Protest in Amethi Continues 

Amid Congress' delay in announcing candidates, the workers of Congress party in Amethi on Tuesday also held a sit-in and demanded that the party name a member of the Gandhi family as its candidate from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency.

Robert Vadra's Entry Into Politics?

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's husband, Robert Vadra, has also showed hs inclination towards making his political debut. Vadra has claimed that people of Amethi want him to represent the constituency.

Pitching himself as the candidate for Amethi seat, Vadra said, “They want a member of the Gandhi family returns, they will ensure the person's victory with a huge margin, they also expect that if I take my first step in politics, and think of becoming an MP, then I should represent Amethi.” He asserted that the final decision will be taken by the Congress party.

Posters claiming ‘Amethi Ki Janta Kare Pukar, Robert Vadra Ab Ki Baar’ were seen at Congress' office in Gauriganj, earlier this month. Written in Hindi, the posters demanded Robert Vadra to be the party's candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha seat this elections.