Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday filed his nomination papers from Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat of Uttar Pradesh, a family bastion and a constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades. Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The Congress on Friday made the highly anticipated announcement of candidates for the Amethi and Rae Bareli seats, which their family has traditionally held.
The Amethi seat has been represented by Rahul Gandhi from 2004 and he remained a member of Parliament from the constituency for three consecutive terms till 2019, when he was defeated by Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi currently represents the Wayanad constituency in Kerala from where he has contested this time also.
The Rae Bareli constituency was represented by Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2024. Before that, Sonia Gandhi had represented the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency after she entered politics and contested for the first time in 1999. Sonia Gandhi took oath as Rajya Sabha MP for the Congress earlier this year.
Rahul Gandhi took to microblogging platform X and said his nomination from Rae Bareli is an "emotional moment", adding that his mother has entrusted him "with the responsibility of the family's workplace with great confidence and given me the opportunity to serve it."
"In the ongoing fight for justice against injustice, I seek the love and blessings of my loved ones," Rahul Gandhi said.
'21st Attempt To Launch Rahul', Quips Shah; PM Modi Says 'Bhaago Mat...'
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP leader on Friday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh "after running away from Amethi". Shah predicted that he will lose the polls there against the BJP candidate by a huge margin.
He also said former AICC President Sonia Gandhi's multiple attempts to "launch" Rahul Gandhi had failed and claimed that this was the twenty-first attempt.
"Modi ji tried and at once Chandrayaan [mission to Moon] got launched. Sonia Gandhi has launched this 'yaan' named Rahul Baba [Rahul Gandhi] twenty times, but her launching has not been successful. Today for the twenty-first time, running away from Amethi, he has filed nomination from Raebareli," news agency PTI quoted Amit Shah as saying.
He said, "Rahul Baba, I'm telling the result of Raebareli from here. Against BJP's candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh, you will lose by a huge margin. Write down my words."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also on Friday invoked his earlier statement that Rahul Gandhi might have to seek another seat to contest after the casting of votes in Kerala's Wayanad, adding that he bolted from the seat down South as he did in Amethi in 2019.
Addressing a rally in the Purba Bardhaman district on Friday, PM Modi said, "There's no need for an opinion poll or exit poll...I said this much earlier. I predicted on the floor of Parliament two months ago that their [Congress'] biggest leader [Sonia Gandhi] would stand down from contesting these elections. And just as I had foreseen, she [resigned as the Raebareli MP and] took a seat in the Rajya Sabha from Jaipur."
"I also told you earlier that the Shehzaada would start looking for another safe seat for himself, fearing defeat in Wayanad. He was so afraid after losing Amethi in 2019 that he bolted all the way down South, to Wayanad. Now, he has escaped to Raebareli.
These people often go around telling people, 'Daro maat' [don't be afraid]. It's now my turn to say the same to them--'Arey daro maat, bhaago maat' [don't be afraid! don't flee!]," he added.
The Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.
The Congress has forged an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh as part of the INDIA bloc and is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
The Lok Sabha polls are being held in seven phases starting April 19. The counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.
