Wayanad or Rae Bareli? Suspense over Rahul’s pick continues

LUCKNOW A day after he secured landslide victories in both Rae Bareli and Wayanad Lok Sabha constituencies by over 300,000 votes, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is yet to answer the key question — which seat will he forego?

As suspense over Gandhi’s decision — much like the announcement of his candidature — continued to grow on Wednesday, local leaders have started making emotional appeals to the Congress leader to retain his family’s stronghold.

Gandhi won the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 390,030 votes while his margin of victory in Wayanad was 364,422.

The Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency has been held by the Congress since 1999 and was won by Sonia Gandhi in 2019. There was intense speculation about the seat since Sonia Gandhi moved to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year.

Rae Bareli is the only Lok Sabha constituency the Congress won in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in UP.

Asked about it on Tuesday, Gandhi had said: “I have won from both the seats and I want to wholeheartedly thank the voters of Rae Bareli and Wayanad. Now I have to decide which seat I will stay on, will discuss and then decide. Can’t hold on to both the seats, but I haven’t decided yet.”

State Congress committee president Ajai Rai, however, said the local cadre will “request Rahul ji to retain Rae Bareli”.

Another Congress leader, Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’, said: “People of both the Lok Sabha constituencies have ensured Rahul Gandhi’s election to Lok Sabha by a big margin. So, the choice of one seat will be difficult for him.”

Rae Bareli district Congress Committee chief Pankaj Tiwari said: “We want Rahul Gandhiji to retain the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat. However, if he decides to retain Wayanad, we will request the Congress high command to field a Gandhi family member. As no other leader will be acceptable here as a candidate, the choice must be Priyanka Gandhi.”

The leaders, however, refused to comment on which seat Gandhi could pick to represent.

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