With nearly half of the Lok Sabha seats already polled and the conclusion of the third phase of elections, the political landscape is ablaze with speculation and discussion. Among the fervour, the Congress party’s much-anticipated decision regarding the Raebareli Lok Sabha constituency was finally unveiled. Departing from their traditional stronghold of Amethi, the party nominated Rahul Gandhi to contest from Raebareli.
Some critics argue that his decision to contest in Raebareli after Wayanad amounts to betraying the people of Wayanad. The question of Gandhi’s intentions regarding Raebareli remains uncertain, but a statement attributed to one of his close aides has ignited a storm on social media.
Aadesh Rawal, a senior journalist who has been covering Congress politics for decades, revealed in an interview with the YouTube news portal The Lallantop that Gandhi purportedly expressed his intention to leave the Raebareli seat if he emerged victorious in both Raebareli and Wayanad. Rawal claimed that Gandhi stated during a meeting before finalising his candidacy in Raebareli that he would abandon the constituency after winning, viewing his candidacy there as a strategic move to gain political advantages in North India.
“Rahul Gandhi said, I will dump Raebareli if I win both Raebareli & Waynad. He’s contesting from Raebareli just to get some benefits in North India,” quoted Rawal.
Big revelation by journalist @AadeshRawal
Rawal claims that #RahulGandhi told Mallikarjun Kharge that he would dump #Raebareli if he wins both Raebareli and #Wayanad
Rawal adds that Rahul is contesting from Raebareli to get some benefits in North India
Video: Lallantop pic.twitter.com/7a3VeWTTZm
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) May 8, 2024
Rawal further asserted that Gandhi informed Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge that if questioned during the Raebareli campaign about his plans regarding the seat, he would be honest and admit his intention to abandon it if victorious in both constituencies.
Additionally, there have been rumours surrounding a statement attributed to Jairam Ramesh regarding Rahul Gandhi’s purported departure from Raebareli. According to these claims, after Gandhi vacates the seat, his sister Priyanka Vadra would reportedly contest the ensuing by-elections and secure a seat in the lower house of parliament.
Raebareili has been a Congress stronghold since 1952. The Gandhi-Nehru family’s association with the constituency in Uttar Pradesh began in 1952, with the election of Feroze Gandhi, son-in-law of Jawaharlal Nehru and husband of Indira Gandhi.
Raebareli, initially a two-member constituency, had Feroze and Baijnath Kureel as its representatives, both from the Congress. After Feroze’s demise in 1960, Kureel continued. In 1962, it became a single-member seat reserved for SC candidates. Indira Gandhi succeeded her husband and held the seat amidst controversies. She lost in 1977 to Raj Narain due to alleged malpractices but won it back in 1980. Sheila Kaul secured victories in 1989 and 1991, followed by BJP’s Ashok Singh in 1996. Sonia Gandhi took over in 1999, winning consistently until 2019, despite challenges like in 2019 when Dinesh Singh from BJP put up a strong fight.
The BJP and the Prime Minister himself reacted to Congress’s decision to leave Amethi and contest Raebareili. The PM reached saying, “Daro mat, Bhago mat..”
In 2019, Wayanad elected Rahul Gandhi as its representative following his loss of the Amethi seat to Smriti Irani. Amidst Rahul Gandhi’s campaign in Kerala prior to Wayanad’s polling on April 26, speculation arose regarding his potential candidacy for a second seat in Uttar Pradesh.
On the final day for filing nominations, it was revealed that Rahul Gandhi would contest from Raebareli, previously held by Sonia Gandhi, who vacated it as she transitioned to the Rajya Sabha citing health reasons. Rahul Gandhi’s competition in Raebareli will be against BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh, who lost to Sonia Gandhi in 2019. Raebareli, considered a secure stronghold, could reestablish Rahul Gandhi as an Uttar Pradesh MP, albeit necessitating resignation from one of the two seats if he secures victory in both.
This decision to contest in Raebareli evokes a previous statement made by Gandhi himself, where he referred to North Indians as ‘Northese’ and characterised them as ‘stupid’, raising questions about his commitment to representing the people of Raebareli.
Addressing a public gathering in Thiruvananthapuram, Rahul said, “For the first 15 years, I was an MP in the north, I had got used to a different type of politics. For me, coming to Kerala was very refreshing as suddenly I found that people are interested in issues, and not just superficially, but going into detail.”
Several BJP leaders and Union ministers hit back, calling Rahul an “opportunist” and accusing him of belittling North Indians. In a tweet, BJP president J P Nadda said, “A few days back he (Gandhi) was in the Northeast, spewing venom against the western part of India. Today in the South he is spewing venom against the North. Divide and rule politics won’t work, @RahulGandhi Ji! People have rejected this politics. See what happened in Gujarat today!”
