Priyanka to debut from Wayanad.
Ending the days of speculation which Parliament constituency Rahul Gandhi will retain, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday announced that he will retain the family pocket borough of Rae Bareli while his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will make her poll debut from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat.
The decision was taken at a meeting at the residence of Kharge, where Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and party general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal was also present.
The meeting lasted for over one and half hours.
Addressing the media, Kharge said: “Our leader Rahul Gandhi was elected from two seats. As per the law, he has to vacate one seat, and on one seat he can continue because of the last date.”
“We have decided that Rahul Gandhi should keep the Rae Bareli seat because Rae Bareli has a very strong connection with the family. The people of Rae Bareli and for the party he should retain the Rae Bareli seat,” Kharge remarked while announcing the importance of Rae Bareli seat, from which Sonia Gandhi was elected for four consecutive terms from 2004 to 2019.
Kharge further said that Rahul Gandhi also won from Wayanad.
“The people from Wayand want him to retain the seat, however, as per law he can retain only one seat. After thinking carefully we have decided that Priyanka Gandhi should contest from there (Wayanad), and I want to thank both of them, they have agreed. I am declaring,” Kharge said.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi while commenting on the decision, said: “I have an emotional relationship with both Rae Bareli and the people of Wayand.”
Recalling his association with Wayanad as its MP, the Congress leader said, “In the last five years as the MP of Wayand has been a very enjoyable experience. The people of Wayand stood with me. The people of Wayand gave me love and affection, every single person regardless of party, they gave me energy to fight in a very difficult time. So, I will never forget that.”
Rahul Gandhi said, “I want everyone in Wayanad to know that Priyanka is going to fight the election in Wayanad. But I am going to be a frequent visitor to Wayanad. I am going to be available to the people of Wayand and the commitments that I have made, we will stand by them and try to deliver all those commitments. My doors are open for you all throughout the rest of my life.”
He also said that his sister is going to fight the election and “I am confident that she is going to win the election”.
“She (Priyanka Gandhi) will be a very good representative for the people of Wayanad,” he added
Even Priyanka Gandhi expressed her happiness and said, “I am very happy to contest from Wayanad. I won’t let them feel his absence. I will work hard and try my best to make everybody happy and to be a good representative. I am not nervous at all.”
She also said that for her the people of Rae Bareli and Wayanad are important and she along with her brother will fulfill the promises that have been made.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi won the seat of Rae Bareli by defeating BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh by a margin of 3,90,030 votes. Rahul Gandhi had contested this seat aiming to save the lone bastion of the party in the state after he lost Amethi in 2019.
The Congress leader also won the seat of Wayanad, which paved his entry to the Lok Sabha in 2019. He defeated Communist Party of India- Marxist candidate Annie Raja by a margin of 3,64,422 votes.