While Rahul has been a Lok Sabha MP since 2004 when he won from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh and later Wayanad in Kerala, the move will mark the parliamentary debut of Priyanka Gandhi from Wayanad.
In the past, Priyanka has been managing the Rae Bareli and Amethi seats and later the entire Uttar Pradesh but this is the first time Priyanka would contest a Lok Sabha poll. Earlier, there was speculation that she may contest from Rae Bareli. Rahul got elected from Rae Bareli, traditionally a Gandhi family bastion in Uttar Pradesh for the first time while he secured a second term from Wayanad in Kerala.
While Wayanad was the natural choice to contest the national polls for a second time as he was a sitting MP, Rae Bareli was carefully chosen so Rahul could carry forward the legacy of the Gandhi family and help the party revive in Uttar Pradesh which sends the largest number of 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.
The strategic nomination of Rahul from both south and north India helped the Congress project its national-level party status as it challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP in the recently concluded national polls.
The focus on UP where the Congress had a pre-poll pact with the Samajwadi Party (SP) turned out to be a major force multiplier and dented PM Modi's plans for a comfortable majority in the Lok Sabha. The BJP sweeping UP in 2014 and 2019 national elections had played a key role in PM Modi's success but the 2024 contest was a major blow to the saffron party. The Congress-SP combine surprised everyone by winning 43 seats in UP with the Congress getting six and SP 37.
"I welcome Rahul Gandhi's decision to retain Rae Bareli. The move will help us work aggressively in the state and push the party as well as the alliance. UP has given a message to the entire country as the BJP candidate was defeated in the Ayodhya seat and PM Modi won by a reduced margin (from Varanasi)," All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pande told ETV Bharat.
"We have already started preparing for the coming by-polls and the 2027 assembly elections," he said. While Rahul’s presence will push the Congress prospects in UP, Priyanka's candidature and probable win from Wayanad will not only help the party remain strong in Kerala but it will help in other southern states as well.
"Priyanka Gandhi is going to win the by-poll in Wayanad with a heavy margin as the people here love the family. Rahul Gandhi’s candidature in 2019 and 2024 boosted the party’s prospects in the state. As an MP he did a lot of work in the constituency," AICC secretary-in-charge of Kerala P Vishwanathan told ETV Bharat.
While Rahul will keep visiting Wayanad to keep the family relations he has with the voters, Priyanka will keep the family ties with Rae Bareli and Amethi. The presence of Rahul and Priyanka in the Lok Sabha would also mark a first of its kind. Besides, the Rahul-Akhilesh Yadav combo is set to give a tough challenge to the ruling NDA as it did to the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has decided to retain his Kannauj seat and has resigned from his Karhal assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh.
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