‘Had Priyanka contested, PM Modi would have lost in Varanasi’: Rahul Gandhi in Rae Bareli

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that if his sister Priyanka Gandhi would have contested against  Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, then she would have won by a significant margin.

While addressing the Aabhaar Sabha (thanksgiving meeting) of party workers of Rae Bareli and Amethi in Rae Bareli on Tuesday, Gandhi said: “The public has sent a message to the Prime Minister of the country that if he touches the Constitution, then see what people will do to him."

He said  the INDIA coalition parties fought the election unitedly in Raebareli, Amethi and other parts of the country to reduce the strength of the BJP-led NDA in Parliament.

“Varanasi mein jaan bacha ke nikle hain pradhan mantri,” Rahul Gandhi said at ‘Aabhar Sabha’ in Rae Bareli. “Had my sister contested the Varanasi seat, the prime minister would have been defeated by 2 to 3 lakh votes.”

Gandhi said that the masses taught the PM Modi-led government a lesson for neglecting the common people.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won less seats in Uttar Pradesh since 2014. The party secured 33 Lok Sabha seats, four fewer than those won by the Samajwadi Party in the recently concluded general elections. PM Modi faced a challenging contest in Varanasi, initially trailing behind Congress candidate Ajay Rai. He ultimately retained his seat with a narrowed victory margin of 1.6 lakh votes.

Talking about BJP's loss in the Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi said: “There are two-three reasons why all this happened... The first reason is that the spirit of India understood that Narendra Modi Ji and Amit Shah Ji want to finish the Constitution, and that's why the entire country stood in unity…

Gandhi also thanked the Samajwadi Party for their support during the campaign. He expressed appreciation for the cooperation of every party worker in the battle against Congress.