Rahul Gandhi wins Rae Bareli by 4 lakh votes, beats Sonia’s 2019 victory margin

Rae Bareli, a Gandhi bastion, was earlier held by Rahul’s mother, Sonia Gandhi, who had won it in 2019 with a margin of 1,67,178 votes.

Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, senior leaders of the Congress party, take a selfie at a polling station during the sixth phase of the general election, in New Delhi, (REUTERS Photo)

After 7 hours of counting, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday won Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh by a margin of over 4 lakh votes, more than double the gap sitting MP and his mother Sonia Gandhi had with her rival in 2019. With over 670,000 votes, Rahul emerged victorious while BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh was placed at a distant second position and BSP’s Thakur Prasad Yadav third.

Sonia had retained the Rae Bareli seat, a Gandhi bastion, in 2019 by defeating Dinesh Pratap Singh by a margin of 1,67,178 votes.

Read | What helped SP-Congress upset BJP’s UP applecart

In the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, Rae Bareli opened its EVMs and ballot boxes in Phase 5 on May 20. After being elected to the Rajya Sabha, the sitting MP from Congress, Sonia Gandhi, decided not to contest the Lok Sabha elections.

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In hopes of capitalising on the Gandhi family’s legacy in the constituency, Rahul, who faced a defeat in Amethi in 2019, was nominated as a candidate for Rae Bareli. In a rally leading up to the elections in the seat, Sonia had appealed to the masses there: “Your love never left me alone. I am entrusting my son to you. The way you considered me as your own, now you have to see Rahul as your own. He will not disappoint you,” said Sonia. She said Rae Bareli allowed her to serve for 30 years, terming this the “biggest asset” of her life. She said her family had a “100-year link” to the constituency.

Follow full UP Lok Sabha election results coverage here

Established in 1952, the Raebareli Lok Sabha constituency Rae Bareli, a significant parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh, is known as a stronghold for Congress. Indira Gandhi, one of the most influential prime ministers in the country, held this seat for nearly a decade. However, Sonia, who won the last five consecutive Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli (including the 2006 by-polls), is considered the most successful leader from the constituency till date.

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