Rahul Gandhi doesn't want any Nehru-Gandhi family member to contest from Amethi, Rae Bareli: Sources

Congress' sitting MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi does not want the party to field any Nehru-Gandhi family member from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats. This is reportedly because of the Prime Minister's repeated attacks on the Congress over dynastic politics, news agency PTI reported citing sources aware of the matter. 

They added that the Gandhi scion did not want all the three members of the family to be in Parliament. The sources further mentioned that a meeting did take place on Wednesday to discuss the candidature for the two seats but no decision was taken.

The suspense over whether Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi would contest from Amethi and Rae Bareli seats continued, with only a day left for the nomination process to end. K L Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhis said people are expecting them to contest from the Amethi and Rae Bareli seats. 

He added a decision will be taken on the matter "very soon" since the last date of filing nominations for the seats is May 3. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh also said that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will take a final call on the candidates decided by the Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC). 

"My expectation is that in the next 24-30 hours, the Congress president will finalise and a decision taken by him will be announced," Jairam Ramesh said at a media briefing. "Till that is done, all the information, all the so-called office orders are fake," he added. 

When asked if the Congress was "scared" of fielding Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Ramesh said there is no delay and there is time till May 3. He added that nobody is scared and discussions regarding candidates from Amethi and Rae Bareli are ongoing. 

"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 authorised," Jairam Ramesh said. 

Amethi and Rae Bareli are considered as traditional pocket boroughs of the Gandhi-Nehru family as its members have represented the seats for several decades. The Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies go to polls on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections.

The Amethi seat was represented by Rahul Gandhi since 2004 and he remained a member of Parliament from the constituency for three consecutive terms till 2019 when he was defeated by BJP's Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi currently represents the Wayanad constituency in Kerala from where he had also contested in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Rae Bareli constituency was represented by Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2024. Earlier this year, the former Congress president moved to the Rajya Sabha. Prior to that, Sonia Gandhi had represented the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency after she entered politics and contested for the first time in 1999.