'Nobody is scared': Congress to decide on Amethi, Raebareli seats in 24-30 hours

The Congress on Wednesday said a decision on candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats would be announced in the next 24-30 years. Amethi and Rae Bareli will go to polls in the fifth phase on May 20. 

Earlier, it was reported that Rahul Gandhi may contest from Amethi and Priyanka may fight from Rae Bareli. However, later it emerged that Priyanka may not contest from Rae Bareli, a Gandhi family bastion. 

Today, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the party's central election committee (CEC) has empowered Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to finalise the candidates for Amethi and Rarbareli. "My expectation is that in the next 24-30 hours, the Congress president will finalise and a decision taken by him will be announced," Ramesh said. 

"Till that is done all the information, all so-called office orders are fake," he said. Asked why there was a delay in taking a decision and if the Congress was "scared" in fielding Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Ramesh said, "There is no delay. Has the BJP not announced its candidates in Raebareli? Smriti Irani is a sitting MP. Nobody is scared, discussions are ongoing, and the Congress president has been authorized." "There is no delay, there is time till May 3," he said. 

The state leadership in Uttar Pradesh has urged the central election committee and the party leadership to field Rahul Gandhi from Amethi and Priyanka from Rae Bareli. The CEC members also supported the view of the Uttar Pradesh Congress during its last meeting on Saturday.

Rahul Gandhi represented the Amethi seat from 2004 to 2019. In 2019, he lost this prestigious seat to BJP's Smriti Irani. The former Congress chief, who currently represents the Wayanad constituency in Kerala, had earlier said that he will follow "whatever order" he gets from his party. 

Amethi and Rae Bareli are considered bastions of the Gandhi family and the local units of the Congress have demanded that the two scions of the family contest from there. Raebareli was previously held by her mother Sonia Gandhi. 

The Congress has forged an alliance with the Samajwadi Party and is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. 

(With inputs from PTI)