Lok Sabha elections 2024: Shifting gears via Rae Bareli

Rahul Gandhi performs a ‘puja’ after filing his nomination. Pic/PTI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's shift from Amethi to Rae Bareli has supplied new ammunition for the BJP which has called him ‘bhagoda'. PM Narendra Modi launched the first salvo on Friday. "I had already told you that fearing defeat in Wayanad, the prince is looking for a safe seat. He had to run away from Amethi and select Rae Bareli. He tells people not to be frightened. Today, I too want to tell him… ‘daro mat (don't be afraid), bhaago mat (don't run)'," the PM mocked Rahul in his election rally speech in West Bengal on Friday. BJP's Smriti Irani, who is contesting from Amethi again, had defeated Rahul in 2019 following her loss against him in 2014. She has promised Rahul yet another defeat.

There are reasons for the Gandhis to retain Rae Bareli, a safe seat, because it has been a family bastion for long. Generations of the family have won from here. Outgoing MP Sonia Gandhi represented it for 20 years. Congress leaders said the win would be convincing in Rae Bareli, the segment Rahul will continue to represent instead of Kerala's Wayanad (if he wins this, too). Polling in Wayanad has already been held.

There is nothing to worry about now In Wayanad, because, fighting directly against CPI's Annie Raja, Rahul/Congress did not let the Wayanad voters know about his interest in Amethi or Rae Bareli, even as party workers in UP wanted him to give Irani a run for her money in Amethi, and simultaneously urged Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest from Rae Bareli. But the family chose certainty in Rae Bareli over uncertainty in Amethi that Rahul held for 10 years before Irani's emergence. Priyanka told the media persons on Friday that the party's Amethi nominee K L Sharma, who is the Gandhi family's close associate, will beat Irani. She said she would oversee the poll management and campaign.

Meanwhile, CPI nominee Annie Raja saw Rahul's nomination on the last day as an injustice to the people of Wayanad. She said the Congress should have told the people Rae Bareli was also in consideration, and whether he would resign from Wayanad if he won both seats. Annie said the Congress had always taken Wayanad for granted. CPI is an INDIA bloc/Congress partner in certain states, but it fought against the Congress in Kerala. The Congress had rejected the left party's demand for keeping Rahul away from Kerala.

A senior Congress leader from Maharashtra said it made sense to keep Rae Bareli with the Gandhi family. "We hope that Rahul Gandhi's candidature in Uttar Pradesh will make things move fast at the organisational level, and inspire party workers (whatever numbers they have in UP). His nomination reaffirms the Congress's and Gandhi family's bond with Uttar Pradesh."

Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore
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