Priyanka Gandhi will sweep Raebareli election if she contests: Congress
Party responds to BJP candidate Aditi Singh’s comment that the UP constituency is no more a Congress bastion
The Congress believes that if party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contests from Raebareli (Sadar) in the upcoming the Uttar Pradesh election, she will enjoy a sweeping victory. This came in response to a challenge posed by the BJP, saying Raebareli is no more the forte of the Congress.
Former MLA Aditi Singh, who quit the Congress last year to join the BJP, had earlier told News18.com that the Congress no longer enjoyed an edge in Raebareli. She further challenged Priyanka to contest from that seat. Aditi Singh’s father, Akhilesh Kumar Singh, had held the Assembly seat for five terms, first as an Independent and then as a Congress leader. He passed away in 2019, and his daughter is now contesting on a BJP ticket from the seat.
Also read: Priyanka Gandhi hints at being Congress’ CM face in UP
Congress president Sonia Gandhi is the MP from the Raebareli Lok Sabha constituency, of which the Raebareli Assembly seat is a constituent.
Emotional connect
Responding to Aditi Singh’s challenge, UP Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi insisted that Raebareli is the ‘home’ of the Gandhi family. The residents of the city are linked to the Nehru-Gandhi family not just politically but also emotionally, he said. Priyanka, who has always handled Sonia’s election campaign, will win the seat hands down if she contests, he added.
However, Aditi Singh said the Congress tended to take the people of Raebareli and Amethi, considered another Congress bastion, for granted. It may be recalled that Rahul Gandhi lost the Amethi seat in UP to the BJP’s Smriti Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. He, however, won at Wayanad in Kerala, and hence retained his MP title.
There has been heightened speculation on Priyanka entering the electoral fray after she dropped a hint recently. Quizzed about the Congress’ CM face for UP, she said: “Do you see any other face in UP from the Congress side? Can’t you see my face visible everywhere?”
Assembly elections will be held across seven phases in Uttar Pradesh, starting February 10. The results will be announced on March 10.
