No sign of Gandhis yet from Amethi, Raebareli; Congress suspense continues

A large section of the leadership believes that the Gandhis not contesting from the Hindi heartland would send a bad political message and so one of them will surely contest. But that is merely a hope as most of the leaders appear clueless.

Priyanka, if she contests, will be the eighth member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to enter electoral politics from the Congress. And three members of the Gandhi family will be in Parliament for the first time if she – in case she contests – and Rahul win their respective electoral battles. Their mother and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi recently became Rajya Sabha member.

Sources say the perception about three members of the family being in Parliament is one aspect, which is said to be discussed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP had been attacking the opposition INDIA bloc over dynasty politics, often arguing that almost all the parties in the alliance are controlled by families. Congress leaders who are in favour of the Gandhi siblings entering the fray argue that the BJP’s line of attack would not change irrespective of them contesting or not.

But the concern is that the BJP’s dynasty line of attack could sharpen if both Rahul and Priyanka contest. The other question which Rahul is said to be confronted with is the possibility of him winning both Amethi and Wayanad, which will force him to choose one seat and relinquish the other – one which sent him to Parliament for the first time in 2004 and he has represented thrice and another which ensured that he remains an MP in 2019.

Congress leaders play down such talk. “Indira Gandhi had won perhaps the most crucial election of her life from Chikkamagaluru in 1978. But she decided to contest from Medak and Raebareli in 1980 and after winning both she vacated Raebareli. Sonia Gandhi won from both Bellary and Amethi in 1999 but she left Bellary,” one leader said. Sources said the party is hopeful of convincing Rahul, if not Priyanka.

A section of the party believes Priyanka should contest from Amethi against sitting MP and Union minister Smriti Irani and Rahul should move to Raebareli. At least one leader said that the proposal continues to be on the discussion table.

“Every seat is important. Amethi and Raebareli are no exception. We need the best candidates there,” a leader said. Winning back Amethi and retaining Raebareli – seats which were held by Feroze, Indira, Rajiv and Sonia in the past — has more than symbolic value for the Gandhi family.

The Congress had been winning Amethi and Raebareli on the trot since 1999 but suffered a huge setback in 2019 when Rahul, who won the Amethi seat thrice between 2004 and 2014, lost the seat by over 55,000 votes. While Sonia retained Raebareli, the lone Congress candidate who managed to win in Uttar Pradesh, her margin came down to 1.69 lakh votes from 3.52 lakh in 2014. Sonia had been winning the seat since 2004.

The Gandhi family has a long association with both Amethi and Raebareli. Feroze Gandhi represented Raebareli way back in 1952 and 1957. Although Indira entered Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member in 1964, her Lok Sabha debut was from Raebareli in 1967. She won the seat again in 1971 before losing to Raj Narain in 1977 in the elections post Emergency. In 1980, Indira contested from Raebareli and Medak in undivided Andhra Pradesh, won both and chose to retain the Medak seat.

The family’s association with Amethi began in 1980 when Sanjay Gandhi entered Parliament from the seat on his electoral debut. After his death, Rajiv made his electoral debut from Amethi in 1981 and held onto the seat till his death in 1991. In 1991, Sonia’s electoral debut too was from Amethi. In 2004, she shifted to Raebareli, making way for her son Rahul to make his electoral debut from the seat.