Amid huge suspense and speculations over party candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha seat, Amethi Congress president Pradeep Singhal has said that anything can happen as it is the Congress party. He further added that if candidate announcement was in his hands, he would have done it two months ago.
“…Yeh Congress hai kuch bhi ho sakta hai…If it was in our hands we would have announced the candidate from Amethi two months ago…,” said Singhal as quoted by news agency ANI.
The Congress party, which is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh as part of a seat-sharing deal with the Samajwadi Party (SP), has announced candidates for all the seats barring Amethi and Raebareli. Notably, the last day to file nomination for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat is Friday, May 3. Meanwhile, BJP’s Smriti Irani, the sitting MP from Amethi, has already filed her nomination.
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As per some reports, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has already fought on the party’s ticket from Kerala’s Wayanad in the ongoing Lok Sabha election 2024 in the second phase on April 26, is likely to contest from Amethi as well. Voting will be held in Amethi in the fifth phase on May 20.
In 2019, Rahul had lost to BJP’s Smriti Irani. If the former Congress president decides to contest from Amethi this time, it will be a second direct contest between both veteran leaders.
Similarly, there is suspense over who Congress would nominate for the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat. Known to be a bastion of the Congress party, Sonia Gandhi won from Raebareli in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. However, Sonia has now moved to the Rajya Sabha as an MP and there is uncertainty over who would take her place in Raebareli.
Meanwhile, some reports are saying that Rahul’s sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to contest from Raebareli, this time.
Uttar Pradesh elects the maximum number of Lok Sabha MPs (80) and plays a major role in deciding which party would form government at the Centre.
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