What Led Congress To Pick Rahul Gandhi For Rae Bareli?

Rahul Gandhi, following the footsteps of his esteemed family members Feroze Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi, will continue the legacy by contesting from Rae Bareli, a seat considered sacred to the Gandhi family. As the Congress announced his candidature for Rae Bareli on the last day of nomination, Rahul Gandhi also contested from Kerala's Wayanad. In 2019, he lost the Amethi seat to Union Minister Smriti Irani. To strengthen the party's presence in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress has named Kishori Lal Sharma as its candidate from Amethi.

Rae Bareli has been under the Gandhi family's representation since 1952, starting with Feroze Gandhi, who won the seat in 1952 and 1957. Indira Gandhi served as the Rae Bareli MP between 1967 and 1977 and later from 1980. Sonia Gandhi held the position from 2004, with close relatives such as Arun Nehru and Shiela Kaul also representing this constituency.

Congress strategists advised Rahul Gandhi to contest from Rae Bareli, a seat synonymous with the Gandhi family, while allowing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to take on Union Minister Smriti Irani in Amethi. Priyanka Gandhi reportedly opted out of the polls due to her commitment to campaigning for the party across the country.

Rae Bareli is considered a safer seat compared to Amethi for the Gandhis. In the 2019 election, Sonia Gandhi secured 55.8% of the votes in Rae Bareli despite Congress losing other seats in Uttar Pradesh. Fielding a top leader from Rae Bareli also maintains a north-south balance in the Congress leadership, as most other key leaders hail from southern India.

As the Congress focuses on improving its performance in northern India, particularly in states where it competes directly with the BJP, having a prominent leader represent north India was politically prudent. In the recent past, the party has fared better in southern India, winning Karnataka and Telangana but losing power in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. In northern India, the Congress governs only Himachal Pradesh and is part of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand.

Kishori Lal Sharma, a loyal Congressman who managed Amethi and Rae Bareli seats for the Gandhis, was chosen as the party's candidate for Amethi after Priyanka Gandhi's decision to opt out of the polls.