Congress likely to announce Amethi, Raebareli candidates tonight | LIVE Updates 

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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With the deadline for filing nominations just a day away, suspense is the primary emotion overhanging Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh — the question being who will be the Congress candidates in these two high-profile seats. With Friday (May 3) being the last day for filing nominations, the party is expected to name its candidates for these prestigious constituencies tonight, May 2.

Both constituencies are traditional strongholds of the Gandhi-Nehru family, with its members holding these seats for decades. Amid uncertainty over the Congress nominees, sources indicate party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest from here. Amethi has been represented by Rahul since 2004, but he lost to BJP’s Smriti Irani in the 2019 general elections.

Track all updates regarding the announcement of candidates for these high-profile seats here 

• Home Minister Amit Shah criticized Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, stating that their indecision reflects a lack of self-confidence. He remarked that they seem hesitant to contest even from their traditional seats. Shah questioned why they delayed the decision for so long, suggesting that if they weren’t willing to run, they could have given the opportunity to a party worker for better public outreach. This uncertainty, Shah argued, highlights their lack of self-assurance.
• Posters of Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav seen at Amethi Congress office.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | Posters carrying pictures of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav brought to Gauriganj-Amethi Congress office pic.twitter.com/oiEm2Xtc1z

— ANI (@ANI) May 2, 2024

• BJP candidate from UP’s Rae Bareli seat, Dinesh Pratap Singh says, “…I assure the country that farewell of ‘nakli’ Gandhis from Rae Bareli is certain. It is certain that BJP’s ‘lotus’ will bloom, and Congress will lose. I have even fought against 4-time MP Sonia Gandhi, so Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi are not important to me. Whichever Gandhi comes to Rae Bareli, they will lose.”
• Sources also said the Congress party has prepared an alternative plan in case Priyanka Gandhi Vadra does not contest from Rae Bareli, adding a grandson of former Congress leader and Indira Gandhi’s aunt Sheila Kaul may be fielded from Rae Bareli. Confidantes of the Gandhi family who held the fort at the ground level are already in Amethi and have prepared the nominations for the both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, even though the party is yet to make any formal announcement.
• Sources reveal that Rahul Gandhi and Party President Mallikarjun Kharge, currently in Shimoga for a joint poll rally in Karnataka, discussed his nomination from Amethi. The Uttar Pradesh Congress leadership has urged the Gandhi family to contest both seats, while the Central Election Committee advocates for Rahul and Priyanka’s candidacy. However, the final decision rests with the top leadership and the Congress’s first family.
• The Amethi seat has been represented by Rahul Gandhi from 2004 and he remained the member of Parliament from the constituency for three consecutive terms till 2019. He currently represents the Wayanad constituency in Kerala from where he has contested this time also. Rahul Gandhi had said earlier he will follow “whatever order” he gets from his party.
•  The Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections. The Rae Bareli constituency was represented by Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2024. Prior to that, Sonia Gandhi had represented the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency after she entered politics and contested for the first time in 1999.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow