Fear or Strategy? Suspense Looms Over Rahul Gandhi's Comeback From Amethi, Priyanka's Poll Debut

New Delhi: The Congress party is likely to announce its candidate from the Amethi seat for the Lok Sabha election on Sunday, April 28. Speculations are rife that Rahul Gandhi will make a comeback from Amethi, which he lost to BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani in the 2019 general elections. The Congress party is yet to announce its candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats- Amethi and Rae Bareli- considered as pocket boroughs of the Gandhi family. 

BJP has fielded sitting MP from Amethi- Smriti Irani, while is still waiting to take a call on Rae Bareli seat. Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi was the sitting MP from Rae Bareli, but she recently moved to Rajya Sabha. 

Uttar Pradesh Congress Unit Urges Party 

The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Saturday urged the top party leadership to field Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Amethi and Raebareli, respectively for the Lok Sabha polls. Sources said AICC in-charge of party Affairs in Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pandey and CLP leader in the state Aradhana Mishra urged Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi to give tickets to both Rahul and Priyanka from the Uttar Pradesh seats.

During the meeting of the CEC chaired by Kharge, various members of the all-important panel also supported the views of the party leaders from Uttar Pradesh and left the decision on the top leadership, the sources said. However, no decision was announced after the meeting of the central election committee (CEC). 

Congress Calls It ‘Strategy’ 

An official announcement of Rahul Gandhi being fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat is expected today. Itis being said that while Rahul Gandhi may take up Amethi as the second seat, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may make her poll debut from Rae Bareli. Following the declaration of the names, both the siblings will file their nominations in the first week of May. Speculation of Rahul Gandhi's potential return to Amethi gained traction after viral videos showed extensive cleaning and renovations at his residence in the UP town.

Sources in the Congress party told Republic that the Congress had deliberately delayed the announcement owing to the polls in Wayanad, as Rahul Gandhi is contesting from there. Filing nomination from a seat in North could send out wrong message to the voters of Wayanad believed the Congress party, said sources. 

Congress leaders on the ground feel that the delay in announcing Rahul's name was a part of the political strategy in order to not confuse the voters in Wayanad. Voting in Wayanad, currently held by Rahul Gandhi, was held on April 26. Rahul Gandhi was a two-time member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi and had won the seat in 2009 and 2014.

Robert Vadra Weighs In 

Priyanka Gandhi's husband Robert Vadra has also showed his inclination towards making his poll debut from family bastion Amethi. Recently, his posters were also put up by the party workers at Congress's office in Gauriganj segment of Amethi. On Wednesday, April 24, posters claiming ‘Amethi Ki Janta Kare Pukar, Robert Vadra Ab Ki Baar’ were seen at Congress' office in Gauriganj. Written in Hindi, the posters demanded Robert Vadra to be the party's candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha seat this elections. 

Earlier, Robert Vadra had claimed that the people of Amethi wanted him as their representative. Speaking to ANI, Robert Vadra, who has indicated his electoral ambitions earlier too, said the Gandhi family has worked hard in Amethi and surrounding areas and the people of the constituency want a Gandhi family member to return. 

Pitching himself as the candidate for Amethi seat, Vadra said, “They want a member of the Gandhi family returns, they will ensure the person's victory with a huge margin, they also expect that if I take my first step in politics, and think of becoming an MP, then I should represent Amethi.” He asserted that the final decision will be taken by the Congress party.