Rae Bareli and Amethi in the 2024 Elections: Congress’s Secure Seat, But Once Defeated a Prime Minister

The twin strongholds weathered many political storms. In 2014, Amethi fell to the BJP, but Rae Bareli held fort. With both the BJP and the Congress showing their cards for these seats, the game is on.

Out of the 20 elections, this seat has witnessed so far, the Congress won 17. The seat was first represented by Indira Gandhi’s husband, Feroze Gandhi, and later elected Indira Gandhi thrice. In 1975, the Allahabad High Court declared Mrs. Gandhi’s 1971 victory from Rae Bareli void, leading to the Emergency.

Mrs. Gandhi suffered a defeat in the 1977 elections, but she made a comeback in 1980. The seat was later won by Arun Nehru, a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Sonia Gandhi held Rae Bareli for two decades before vacating it to join the Rajya Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi is contesting from this seat, up against the BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh. On the other hand, Amethi Lok Sabha seat saw Congress leaders like Vijdya Dhar Bajpai, Sanjay and Rajiv Gandhi, and Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. In 2019, the BJP’s Smriti Irani scored a surprise win over Mr. Gandhi.

This time, Mr. Gandhi has decided to contest from Rae Bareli, while the Congress has chosen KL Sharma to take on Ms. Irani in Amethi. The BJP has criticized the Gandhi family’s involvement in these seats as dynastic politics. The absence of a Gandhi among the candidates in Amethi may give sitting MP Smriti Irani an edge.

However, the Gandhi family’s strong connections and star power are seen as an advantage for the Congress.