Ajay Rai, the newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress president, stated on Friday that Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, sparking speculation over the high-profile constituency that has long been a traditional seat for the Gandhi-Nehru family.
Only twice has the Gandhi-Nehru family been defeated in this Congress stronghold, the first being soon after the Emergency, when Sanjay Gandhi lost to Janata Party candidate Ravindra Pratap Singh.
Rahul Gandhi made his parliamentary debut in Amethi in 2004 and won the next two Lok Sabha elections from the same seat before losing it to Smriti Irani of the BJP in 2019.
Sonia Gandhi, an MP from Rae Bareli, is currently the only Congress legislator from UP, and the grand old party would like to take Amethi from Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi is now the Member of Parliament for Wayanad in Kerala.
Surrounded by party workers and leaders, who gathered at the airport as he arrived from Delhi, Rai said, “Rahul Gandhi will definitely contest the Lok Sabha election from Amethi, the people of Amethi are here.”
Rai expressed frustration with Union Minister Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in the last election. “Smriti Irani seems frustrated. She said she will get sugar at ₹13 per kg, did she manage it? People from Amethi are here, ask them,” Rai said.
