Congress to Announce Lok Sabha Candidates for Amethi and Raebareli Within 24 Hours

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 1st May. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said on Wednesday that the party is set to resolve the uncertainty surrounding its Lok Sabha candidates for the significant constituencies of Amethi and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. The party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) has authorized Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to make the decision, which will be disclosed within 24 hours, said Ramesh.

Ramesh stated, “Nobody is scared, no one is running away.”

The Congress has prolonged the suspense for the Amethi and Raebareli constituencies, withholding the announcement of candidates in the latest list of names for the Lok Sabha polls released on Tuesday.

Protests erupted in Amethi yesterday over the delay in the announcement, with Congress workers chanting slogans like “Amethi demands the Gandhi family” outside the party office.

There’s speculation that the party might nominate its former president, Rahul Gandhi, for Amethi, a seat he lost to BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019. It’s also rumored that Rahul Gandhi might contest from Wayanad, Kerala, as he did in the previous Lok Sabha elections.

For Raebareli, held by Sonia Gandhi since 2004, the name circulating is Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, whose electoral debut is anticipated to invigorate party workers.

Regarding the buzz surrounding Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress leader Rajeev Shukla mentioned that the decision will be made by the CEC. “The Gandhi family is very popular, and lakhs of people are coming to their public meetings. The decision has been left to the CEC,” Mr. Shukla stated.

Elections for both seats are scheduled for May 20, the fifth phase. The Congress will contest 17 of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 Lok Sabha seats, while the remaining 63 will be contested by the Samajwadi Party and regional outfits under the INDIA bloc.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Smriti Irani has filed her nomination from Amethi, expressing confidence in securing a second consecutive term. When asked about her preference between Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as opponents, she told NDTV, “I could not care less. Whoever comes will lose.