NEW DELHI: Sources say that sister Priyanka wanted to contest the elections.
The “fear” that was there finally came true. General Rahul Gandhi left his traditional seat of Amethi and shifted to Rae Bareli. Political pundits are expressing astonishment at this decision. The decision has given the BJP an opportunity to attack the Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi immediately said that Rahul, fearing defeat in Amethi, fled to Rae Bareli, but even there, he wouldn’t win.
It is being said that Rahul Gandhi was not keen to contest the elections from Uttar Pradesh, hence the delay in announcing his name from Rae Bareli. Secondly, sources say that sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wanted to contest the elections, but the family vetoed her decision. When Sonia Gandhi filed nomination for Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan earlier this year, there were reports that Priyanka’s first preference was Rajya Sabha, but because of her mother’s influence, she remained silent. But her Rae Bareli plans also did not materialise.
Rahul Gandhi and his advisor, K.C. Venugopal, know that if Congress wins in Rae Bareli, Rahul will have to leave Wayanad. But if Rahul leaves Wayanad, it won’t send a good message for Congress in Kerala. Therefore, Rahul was not interested in contesting the elections from Uttar Pradesh this time, and neither were sister Priyanka and brother-in-law Vadra in favour of it, according to sources. The decision of Rahul not to contest elections put the entire party in a fix. Sources say that afterwards, the party’s national president, Mallikarjun Kharge, appealed to Sonia Gandhi that Rahul’s decision not to contest would send a wrong message. After this, Sonia Gandhi and Kharge put pressure on Rahul, and only then, on the night of 2 May, Rahul agreed to contest rom Rae Bareli. However, the decision was also made not to field Vadra from Amethi. Priyanka wanted if she was not being given the ticket from Amethi, her husband should be given it. But there was no consensus within the family on this, say sources. The party instead gave the ticket to Kishori Lal Sharma, against a high-profile candidate such as Smriti Irani. Congress’ I.N.D.I. Alliance partners are disappointed with this.
Against Rahul, the BJP has fielded Dinesh Pratap Singh, a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government. He is the same D.P. Singh who gave a tough fight to Sonia Gandhi in the previous elections. He has been active in Amethi-Rae Bareli for the past five years. So, this time too, the Gandhi family will have to put in all their efforts to win the Rae Bareli seat. It remains to be seen what election strategy Congress adopts for Rae Bareli and Amethi; how much time Priyanka and Rahul give to the seat. However, during the nomination filing, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Organizational Secretary K.C. Venugopal, and former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, along with other senior leaders, were present. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s speech boosted the morale of the workers. She appeared quite active. An attempt was made to convey the message “all is well”. Only the results on June 4 will tell how well everything is.