Rahul Gandhi on His Nomination from Raebareli: “Mother Entrusted Me…

The Congress leader declared Raebareli as his family’s “karmabhoomi” after submitting his nomination papers from the constituency previously represented by Sonia Gandhi. He expressed that being chosen as the candidate for the seat held emotional significance for him, given the family history in the area. Mr. Gandhi’s grandmother, Indira Gandhi, and grandfather, Feroze Gandhi, also represented Raebareli in the Lok Sabha. Accompanied by Sonia Gandhi, his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, her husband Robert Vadra, and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Mr. Gandhi filed his nomination papers for both Raebareli and Wayanad.

He emphasized in a social media post that both Raebareli and Amethi are significant to him, stating that they are not different and are both his family. The BJP criticized the Congress’ decision to field Mr. Gandhi from Raebareli and loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi, using it as an opportunity to attack Mr. Gandhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Mr. Gandhi of “running away” from the Amethi seat. Additionally, Union Minister Smriti Irani stated that the absence of the Gandhi family in the Amethi election indicated the Congress party’s acceptance of defeat, suggesting that Mr. Gandhi would never fully belong to Raebareli.

The Lok Sabha elections for Amethi and Raebareli are scheduled for May 20th, during the fifth phase of the elections.