Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Rahul Gandhi To File Nomination From Raebareli, KL Sharma To Contest From Amethi

New Delhi: Congress’ sitting MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi will file nomination from family bastion Raebareli – the seat vacated recently by his mother Sonia Gandhi and party’s senior leader and loyalist KL Sharma will contest from Amethi, the Congress said in a statement. The Gandhi siblings were told to take a call on contesting from the two VIP seats in Uttar Pradesh by Thursday night.

The Congress has been delaying the decision on candidates for the two seats for weeks. As the suspense grew, Congress workers went into protest mode in Amethi earlier this week, seeking a member of the Gandhi family as candidate. Earlier, Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge suggested at a meeting with Rahul Gandhi that both siblings contest from the family’s bastions, leaving the final decision to them due to their understanding of the state’s ground reality.

Congress releases another list of candidates for the upcoming #LokSabhaElections2024

Rahul Gandhi to contest from Raebareli and Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi. pic.twitter.com/2w4QQcn9ok

— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2024

Amethi and Rae Bareli, the traditional pocket boroughs of the Gandhi-Nehru family, hold significant political history. Represented by family members for decades, these constituencies are set for elections on May 20 in the fifth round of the general elections.

Amethi, once held by Rahul Gandhi for three consecutive terms since 2004, witnessed a shift in power in 2019 when he was defeated by BJP’s Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi now represents Wayanad in Kerala from where he had also contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Rae Bareli constituency was represented by Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2024. Earlier this year, the former Congress president moved to the Rajya Sabha. Prior to that, Sonia Gandhi had represented the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency after she entered politics and contested for the first time in 1999.