Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh announced on May 1 that party president Mallikarjun Kharge will decide soon on the candidates for the Rae Bareli and Amethi Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, with an official announcement expected in the next 24 to 30 hours.
During a press conference at AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday, Mr. Ramesh said the Central Election Committee (CEC) authorized the Congress president to make the final decision on these seats.
The UP Congress proposed that the Gandhi family contest the Amethi and Rae Bareli seats, and the decision has been left to Kharge. In the 2019 elections, Rahul Gandhi lost the Amethi seat to BJP’s Smriti Irani, who has already filed her nomination papers for the same seat this year.
Irani expressed gratitude for her party’s support and highlighted the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Amethi, including providing homes, toilets, water connections, and electricity to families.
When asked about Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s potential candidacies, Irani stated she can only contest against a candidate if there is one.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, where he won in 2019. The Congress has announced 308 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha election, which began on April 19.
