• Source:JND
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Lok Sabha Election 2024: Since the beginning of the first national elections in 1951-52, after India attained independence in 1947, the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh has been a significant stronghold for the Congress party, seeing the ascent of several notable figures from the Gandhi-Nehru family. After a long delay, the Congress finally ended the suspense on its Amethi and Raebareli Lok Sabha candidates on Friday. The party has announced Rahul Gandhi as its candidate from Raebareli, a seat held by his mother, Sonia Gandhi, for two decades. Congress MP from Wayanad faces BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh, who lost to Sonia Gandhi by a significant margin in the 2019 polls.

Here Are Some Prominent Figures Who Contested Raebareli Seat

Feroz Gandhi: Since Independence, the Congress has been the main force in Raebareli, winning all but three elections -1977, 1996 and 1998. Feroz Gandhi, husband of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, won the seat in 1952 and 1957. Following his demise in 1960, the Congress fielded RP Singh and retained the seat through by-elections. In the 1962 elections, Congress replaced Singh with Baijnath Kureel, who also secured another victory.

Indira Gandhi: After Kureel it was former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who secured victories from Raebareli in 1967 and 1971 but faced defeat in 1977 due to the aftermath of the Emergency. She lost the Raebareli seat to Janata Party's Raj Narain. In 1980, Indira Gandhi reclaimed the seat alongside her victory in Medak, Telangana. She kept the Medak seat, and Congress' Arun Nehru won the 1980 Rae Bareli bypoll and subsequently in 1984. Nehru was a confidant of the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

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Sheila Kaul, another Gandhi relative and aunt of Indira Gandhi, also emerged victorious from this prestigious seat. Kaul secured her first victory in Raebareli in 1989, followed by another win in the 1991 elections. After the death of Rajiv Gandhi, the Gandhi family took a break from politics for a while. It was the time when the Congress lost the seat to the BJP's Ashok Singh in both the 1996 and 1998 elections. In 1999, the table turned once again after Satish Sharma, a close associate of the Gandhis, regained the seat in the Congress.

Sonia Gandhi: In 2004, the Gandhi family returned to Raebareli after eight years. Sonia Gandhi, who was first elected to the Lok Sabha from Amethi in 1999, vacated it for her son Rahul Gandhi's debut in politics in the 2004 elections. Sonia Gandhi picked Raebareli, a seat she won for four consecutive terms. In February 2024, she announced her decision not to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, expressing gratitude to the Raebareli people for their unwavering support over the years.

Rahul Gandhi: With Rahul Gandhi now contesting from Raebareli, the Congress aims to retain its sole seat in Uttar Pradesh, amidst the setback of losing Amethi to BJP's Smriti Irani in the 2019 elections.