NEW DELHI: Robert Vadra, husband of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, on Thursday said people of Amethi expect him to contest from the constituency if he decides to take a plunge in electoral politics. Amethi was a traditional Gandhi bastion for a long time. However, in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP's Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi ending the winning streak of Gandhis from the prestigious seat.
"For years, Gandhi family worked hard in Rae Bareli, Amethi and Sultanpur. Amethi wants a Gandhi family member to return. They expect me to represent Amethi if I decide to contest elections," Vadra told news agency ANI amid suspense over Congress's pick for the prestigious seat.
Vadra claimed that the people of Amethi were unhappy with their present representative Smriti Irani and felt that they had made a mistake by electing her.
The Congress, which will contest 17 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, has not announced candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli yet. UP Congress leaders have demanded that members of Gandhi family should contest from the two seats. Congress has already announced Rahul Gandhi's name from Wayanad, but there are demands that he also contest from Amethi.
Meanwhile, Rae Bareli, which was represented by Sonia Gandhi for a long time, will also have a new Congress candidate as she has opted out of electoral politics and entered Rajya Sabha. The state Congress leaders want Priyanka Gandhi to contest from Rae Bareli.
Sonia, who had represented Rae Bareli since 2004, had informed voters that she would not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls due to health and age issues. In a letter addressed to people, the 77-year-old had also thrown subtle hints of a possible entry of a member of her family from the constituency. "After this decision, I will not have the opportunity to serve you directly but my heart and soul will always remain with you. I know that you will stand by me and my family in the future, just as you had in the past," Sonia Gandhi had said in the message written in Hindi.
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