Tajdar H. Zaidi
Lucknow :
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday filed nomination papers for the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat. Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi and Priyanka’s husband Robert Vadra were present with Rahul Gandhi as he submitted the papers at the district magistrate’s office.
On Friday, the Congress leadership announced its candidates for two high-profile seats – Amethi and Raebareli. Putting an end to speculation that Rahul Gandhi may be fielded from Amethi, a seat he has represented thrice in Lok Sabha, the Congress picked Kishori Lal Sharma for the seat.
Rae Bareli is considered one of the safest seats for the Congress. Out of the 20 elections it has witnessed so far, the Congress has won 17.
Over the past two ,decades, the seat has elected Sonia Gandhi. Despite the wave in support of the BJP in 2014 and 2019, this seat stayed with the Congress. Mrs Gandhi has now moved to Rajya Sabha, vacating the prestigous seat for her son. In Raebareli, Rahul Gandhi is up against BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh, who finished a runner-up in the 2019 election.
Congress’s Amethi pick KL Sharma is a long-term loyalist of the Gandhi family and has been working as an MP’s representative in the two constituencies for a long time. Congress leaders say he is a grassroots man and hope this will pay off in the polls.
Speaking to the media, Sharma said he has been working in Amethi for 40 years now. “I am very grateful that Congress has given this opportunity to an ordinary worker like me. I came here in 1987 as a Youth Congress member and from then I have been here. I started my career with late Rajiv Gandhi . In 1987, late PM brought me here. Then the circumstances were such that I chose to stay here.”