Lucknow: His defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections notwithstanding, Rahul Gandhi will again contest from Amethi in next year’s general elections, according to newly-appointed UP Congress Committee chief Ajay Rai.
“Bilkool ladenge Amethi se,” Rai said when asked if Rahul will be looking his 2019 defeat.
That will set the stage for another battle royal between the Congress leader and BJP’s Smriti Irani.
Rahul had lost in Amethi by around 55,000 votes to Union minister Irani in May 2019. He, however, won from Wayanad constituency in Kerala.
Amethi used to be a Gandhi family stronghold, from where Rahul has been contesting elections since 2004, when his mother Sonia vacated the seat.
Rai also said that if Priyanka Gandhi Vadra decides to contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi, every Congress party leader and worker will work to ensure her victory.
There was speculation even before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls that Priyanka may contest from Varanasi. Congress eventually fielded Rai, who lost to the PM both in 2014 and 2019.
Priyanka’s husband Robert Vadra recently hinted at the possibility of the former entering electoral politics.
“She (Priyanka) should be in Lok Sabha for sure. She has all the qualifications for it. She would be very good in Parliament and she deserves to be there. I hope that the Congress party accepts and plans better for her,” PTI had quoted Vadra as saying.
