• Source:JND
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Raebareli Lok Sabha Election 2024: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday filed his nomination from the Raebareli Lok Sabha Constituency in Uttar Pradesh. The former Congress president was accompanied by his mother, Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to Raebareli collectorate, where he filed his nomination papers. The Raebareli seat was represented by Sonia Gandhi for the last 20 years, from 2004 to 2024. However, the Congress matriarch earlier this year moved to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan, vacating the seat which was historically held by the Gandhi family and their loyalists.

Rahul is pitted against the BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh in Raebareli. He currently represents Wayanad in the Lok Sabha. the polling on the Raebareli seat will be held in the fifth phase on May 20. Congress workers and Samajwadi Party workers turned out in full force to welcome Rahul to Raebareli. The workers of both parties who are a part of the INDIA bloc, loudly cheered Gandhi and shouted slogans. People showered petals on the leaders and various trader organisations felicitated Rahul who is seeking his first election from Raebareli.

Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Raebareli has given enough fodder to the ruling BJP, which has upped the ante against the grand old party. Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, PM Modi said that the "Shehzada" fears defeat in Wayanad which is why he has also been fielded from the Raebareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh which will act as an "escape route". 

Top Developments:-

- Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, hours after he was fielded from Raebareli Lok Sabha constituency, the seat vacated by former Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Addressing a public gathering in West Bengal's Bardhaman, PM Modi chose Rahul's own words to taunt him for "dropping" Amethi as his traditional constituency and "switching" to Raebareli seat. "Daro mat (Don't get afraid), bhaago mat (don't run away)," PM Modi said, in a sneering jibe at the Congress leader, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.

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- The PM said that Congress' "Shehzada" is so scared that he ran away from Amethi to Raebareli and is now exploring opportunities there. In a further stinging jibe at the Congress top brass, the Prime Minister said that the party's biggest leader is so frightened of contesting elections that she has opted out of Lok Sabha elections and found her way into Rajya Sabha via Rajasthan.

- Taking a swipe at Congress, BJP MP from Amethi, Smriti Irani said that the grand old party has conceded defeat even before a single vote was cast. "Gandhi family not being present in the election fray in Amethi indicates that Congress party has accepted its defeat in Amethi even before the polling on the seat," she said. Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi on the Amethi in 2019. Rahul faced defeat in 2019 after winning the Amethi, his family borough, thrice from 2004 to 2019.

- BJP candidate from Raebareli Dinesh Pratap Singh alleged that Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have betrayed the people of Rae Bareli. "Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have betrayed the people of Rae Bareli. The people of Rae Bareli chose Sonia Gandhi as an MP but she gave the power to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and she later gave it to Kishori Lal Sharma," he said after filing his nomination.

- Meanwhile, Congress has fielded party loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma from the Amethi seat. KL Sharma has also filed his nominations from the seat today. "I would like to thank Khargeji, Sonia ji, Rahul ji, and Priyanka ji for giving a "chotte" karyakarta like me an opportunity to contest from a seat that is their family bastion," KL Sharma said.

- Defending the party's decision to field KL Sharma from Amethi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra extended her wishes to him. Kishori Lal Sharma is believed to be behind the victory of the party's former president Sonia Gandhi from the pocket borough of the Gandhi-Nehru family. "Our family has a long-standing relationship with Kishori Lal Sharma ji. He was always engaged wholeheartedly in serving the people of Amethi and Rae Bareli. His passion for public service is an example in itself," Priyanka wrote on X.

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- Sharma, a resident of Ludhiana, Punjab, has worked as a representative of Rajiv Gandhi, Satish Sharma, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. He will go head-to-head with Union Minister Smriti Irani, who claimed victory over Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, flipping the Congress bastion seat. Voting in Amethi and Rae Bareli will be held on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls.