Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge are having a meeting to decide on the candidates for Amethi and Raebareli, where the last date for filing of nomination is Friday. The party had handed Mr Kharge the responsibility of choosing a candidate, sources have said. The two leaders are expected to arrive at a decision after the meeting, which is being held in Karnataka, where Mr Gandhi has gone for campaigning.
Sources said while Mr Gandhi is expected to contest on one seat, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra still remains firm on her decision not to contest despite much pressure. There was widespread expectation that she would step into her mother’s shoes in Raebareli.
The Congress has been delaying the decision for weeks. But now, the time has almost run out. Two days ago, Congress workers went into protest mode in Amethi, seeking a member of the Gandhi family as candidate.
Election for both seats is due on May 20, the fifth phase.
There are reports that Rahul Gandhi may not be interested in contesting from Amethi. A victory would mean that he might have to surrender the Kerala seat, which sent him to the Lok Sabha in 2019.
Party sources hinted that Ms Gandhi Vadra’s reluctance stems from the fact that her victory from Raebareli would place all three Gandhi family members in parliament, reinforcing the BJP accusation of dynasty politics. Sonia Gandhi, who till now represented Raebareli, has moved onto Rajya Sabha.
The Congress feels much rides on the decision on these two key seats — the party expects it to set the tone for the rest of the election. Polls on 353 seats will be held in the remaining five phases. Of these seats, the Congress is contesting on 330 — the BJP has won the Surat and Indore seats without a contest.
This is the lowest number of seats the Congress has contested in since Independence. The reason is the united front the Opposition is putting up and many of the seats have been conceded to allies in various states.