One is that he has chosen to remain in the family seat in the Rajya Sabha, following his mother’s decision to abstain from running for office and instead select a Rajasthani seat. Another is that he and the Congress party want to be noticeable in the state where the BJP has a resounding electoral advantage, which is why they are running from a UP seat.
The two seats, which have historically been contested and won by a member of the Gandhi family—well, except for 2019 when federal minister Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi—will receive significantly more attention than the party’s 17 state seats.Having anticipated it, Rahul Gandhi ran from a different seat in Kerala, Wayanad, which he won handily. He is predicted to win after running from Wayanad once more.
Source: Mint
The Gandhi family and the Congress party’s final connection to the state of Uttar Pradesh, which they formerly controlled, is Rae Bareli. In 17 of the 20 elections conducted since Independence, the constituency has returned representatives to Congress. You can count on the BJP to exert every effort to unseat Rahul Gandhi. If the BJP can get the word “Gandhi” removed from the electoral dictionary in Uttar Pradesh, it will be a psychological and political win. There will also be a prestige battle for the Congress.
A win there might sustain the Congress in the state, whether or not it is bolstered by additional wins in UP. It was anticipated that Priyanka Gandhi would run from either Rae Bareli or Amethi, given her extensive work and campaigning in Uttar Pradesh. The Amethi seat has gone to a family loyalist; it makes no difference who decided not to run—the party, the family, or her.
Source: India Today
There are several perspectives on Rahul Gandhi’s choice. It could be interpreted as an attempt to flee Amethi. With it, the BJP has gone all out. Is it better to applaud Rahul Gandhi for being a realist or to criticise him for not entering a contest? Politics will most likely influence the verdict.
There are further queries as well. Why did the choices about Amethi and Rae Bareli wait until the very last minute? The party would not have gained any additional value or tactical advantage from the uncertainty. Rahul Gandhi ought to have declared his intention to run from Rae Bareli ahead of Wayanad’s election day. By keeping it a secret, he was treating the Wayanad voters unfairly. This is due to the fact that if he wins in both constituencies, he will have to leave one.
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