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New Delhi: After the Congress ended weeks of suspense round its selection of candidates from Raebareli and Amethi Lok Sabha constituencies, naming Rahul Gandhi and KL Sharma as its picks from the normal strongholds; the Wayanad MP, alongside together with his mom Sonia Gandhi and several other Congress heavyweights, arrived at social gathering’s mini-pocket borough on the final day for submitting nominations for the fifth part of the overall elections on Friday.
A chartered flight with Rahul, his mom and several other Congress high tuns landed on the Fursatgunj airfield forward of his nomination submitting from Raebareli. The Wayanad MP was flanked by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, KC Venugopal, Robert Vadra, former Rajasthan chief minister and AICC member Ashok Gehlot, as he arrived on the airstrip.
Rahul and Sonia, the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Occasion who resigned because the sitting Raebareli MP earlier and was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Jaipur, had been pictured leaving the latter’s Delhi residence after the Congress formally introduced its picks for its two UP strongholds earlier within the day.
In accordance with social gathering sources, Rahul will maintain an elaborate roadshow in Raebareli earlier than submitting his nomination papers at midday. Forward of his arrival on the Congress stronghold, hectic preparations had been underway on the social gathering workplace in Raebareli to accord him a rousing reception.
Congress nationwide president Mallikarjun Kharge and Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy additionally left for Raebareli on a particular flight from Hyderabad’s Begumpet airport forward of Rahul’s nomination submitting.
A video clip confirmed the Congress’ Raebareli workplace being bedecked with petals forward of Rahul’s arrival.
Rahul is pitted towards Congress defector and three-time MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh in Raebareli. A sitting MP from Kerala’s Wayanad, he’s additionally looking for a recent time period within the Decrease Home from the seat that polled in Part 2 of the overall elections on April 26.
Earlier than Sonia, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had received Raebareli thrice. The constituency additionally elected Indira’s husband and Congress chief Feroze Gandhi twice in 1952 and 1957.
The BJP, in the meantime, took a dig at Rahul’s candidature from two seats, saying he was “working away from Wayanad” after “accepting defeat in Amethi.”
“Rahul Gandhi is shedding Wayanad, which is why he’s going to file nomination from Raebareli. He ran away to Wayanad after shedding Amethi earlier (within the 2019 elections). Such is the state of affairs within the Congress nowadays that nobody needs to contest Amethi, which had been considered one of their conventional strongholds. He will even should run away from Raebareli simply as did from Amethi, because the folks will give him a befitting reply. He’ll lose Raebareli as nicely,” BJP nationwide secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa informed ANI on Friday.
In 2019, he contested each Wayanad and Amethi, shedding the latter to Union Minister Smriti Irani.
Rahul represented Amethi within the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2019. His father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, too, was an elected member of Amethi within the Decrease Home from 1981 until his loss of life in 1991. Sonia Gandhi contested elections from right here in 1999 earlier than passing the baton on to Rahul in 2004.
This time, nonetheless, the Congress named social gathering loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi towards incumbent MP Irani. Irani had earlier filed her nomination as an NDA candidate.
Congress social gathering members expressed happiness over KL Sharma’s candidature from Amethi.
“There isn’t a scarcity of enthusiasm. KL Sharma has stood with the folks right here of their time of want over the 30-35 years. He has helped out folks no matter their political affiliation,” Raghav Ram Mishra, a Congress employee, mentioned.
Shubham Singh, one other Congress employee, mentioned, “We stand in assist of the choice taken by ‘Didi’ (Priyanka) and ‘Bhaiya’ (Rahul) to not contest Amethi. We’re at all times able to obey the excessive command’s resolution. There have been expectations that both of them would contest Amethi however we’ll attempt to persuade the folks and attempt to rally assist for our candidate.”
UP Congress President Ajay Rai expressed confidence within the INDIA bloc forming the federal government, including that Rahul’s candidature from Raebareli would “affect the outcomes”.
“It was our demand for a very long time that Rahul Gandhi contest from Uttar Pradesh. We’re joyful that Rahul Gandhi has been named our candidate from Raebareli and KL Sharma from Amethi. They’ve been among the many folks, serving them selflessly. This (Rahul Gandhi’s candidature) would flip the ballot leads to the state the wrong way up. It’s clear that INDIA will type the following authorities on the Centre. Rahul is a fighter and he will not again off,” Rai mentioned.
Each constituencies are conventional strongholds of the Gandhi-Nehru household, with its members holding these seats for many years. Rahul’s defeat in Amethi, as soon as thought of a Congress ‘pocket borough’ by the hands of Irani within the 2019 polls was seen as a big blow to the social gathering’s nationwide status.
The Congress is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh as a part of the seat-sharing take care of its ally companion, Samajwadi Occasion (SP).
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