Rahul Gandhi’s Unexpected Candidature: A Strategic Shift to Rae Bareli

RAE BARELI — In a move that left political circles astounded, Rahul Gandhi, past president of the Indian National Congress, has been named as the party’s candidate from Rae Bareli, not Amethi, for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The statement, made through a terse All India Congress Committee (AICC) press release, has been hailed as a masterly piece of political trickery.The change to Rae Bareli, a seat held by his mother Sonia Gandhi since 2004, is seen as a political move by the Congress.Sonia Gandhi won the 2019 election from this district by a margin of 1.67 lakh votes.

Rahul Gandhi will be facing Dinesh Pratap Singh, a former Congressman who turned teams in 2018. Despite Singh’s attempts to develop the area, beating Rahul Gandhi is going to be a tough job.

Rae Bareli holds major value for the Nehru-Gandhi family.
It was originally the seat of Rahul’s grandpa, Feroze Gandhi, and later held by his grandmother, Indira Gandhi. Over the years, it has been held by people close to the family, such as Arun Nehru and Sheila Kaul.

In a surprise twist, Sheila Kaul’s son, Aashish Kaul, was introduced as a possible candidate from Rae Bareli. However, as Kaul was speaking, workers were seen putting up Rahul Gandhi hoardings in Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi signs in Rae Bareli.

Priyanka Gandhi, despite her popularity and excellent political achievements, is unlikely to fight the 2024 general elections. Speculations say that she will not be running for election as she is due to address a political gathering in Fatehpur Sikri on Saturday afternoon.

Rahul Gandhi’s run from Rae Bareli seems to be a part of a well-orchestrated plan by the Gandhis, who have managed to keep the press guessing about their election strategies. Initially, it was thought that Rahul would stand from Amethi, his old district, and Priyanka would be the Congress candidate from Rae Bareli.
However, whispers soon circulated that neither of them would be standing in Uttar Pradesh.

Rahul Gandhi is expected to win from Wayanad in Kerala, which is considered an ultra-safe seat with a combined Muslim and Christian population of 46 per cent. Rae Bareli, too, is considered relatively safe for the Congress, with four out of its five assembly seats won by the Samajwadi Party, a supporter of the Congress, in the 2022 state elections.

Despite the strategic change, questions remain about whether this marks a full-throated return to Uttar Pradesh, the country’s biggest state. The stigma of having dodged a fight in Amethi against Smriti Irani, who has been campaigning actively in recent days, may continue to linger. Nevertheless, this move indicates a qualified return to Uttar Pradesh, reinforcing the old view that a politician from Uttar Pradesh has a good chance of becoming the prime minister.