Lok Sabha Elections 2024| Rahul Gandhi files nomination from Raebareli; Sonia, Priyanka accompany him

Lucknow: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday filed his nomination papers from the Nehru-Gandhi stronghold of Raebareli from where his mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had been winning the Lok Sabha polls since 2004. Friday was the last day for filing nominations for the seat.

Rahul was accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Earlier Rahul was accorded a warm reception upon his arrival at the Congress office in Raebareli by hundreds of Congress workers, who cheered the Congress leader all the way to the Collectorate.

A customary puja was held at the Raebareli Congress office after Rahul filed his nomination papers. Rahul also took part in the puja, a ritual started by Sonia Gandhi in the 2004 LS polls.

The Congress leader was to go to the Collectorate in a specially designed vehicle but owing to the crowd, he remained inside his vehicle and later went to file the nomination papers. A large number of Samajwadi Party (SP) workers were also part of the procession that followed Rahul.

Although Rahul's candidature from Raebareli was sharply criticised by the BJP, which said that the shift from Amethi to Raebareli was an indication of 'fear' that he might again lose in Amethi, local Congress leaders said that by fielding Rahul from Raebareli, Sonia Gandhi had fulfilled the promise she had made to the electorate of the constituency.

"Sonia ji had promised that a member of the Gandhi family would contest from Raebareli....she has fulfilled the promise," said Raebareli district president V K Shukla.

Sonia had written an 'emotional' letter to the electorate of Raebareli after she chose to go to Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan earlier this year in which she sought to remind them about her family's long relations with the people. "My family is incomplete in Delhi (without Raebareli people)," she had said in the letter and also referred to her father-in-law Firoz Gandhi, who too had been an MP from there.

Sonia cited her poor health and growing age as the reasons behind her decision not to contest the forthcoming LS polls and urged the electorate of the constituency to continue to shower their blessings on her family members.

BJP has fielded UP minister Dinesh Pratap Singh from the seat. Singh said that Sonia had 'betrayed' the voters of Raebareli. "The voters of Raebareli will teach a lesson to the Congress this time," Singh said.

Although Sonia had been able to retain the seat uninterrupted since 2004 and was the lone winner for her party in Uttar Pradesh in the previous LS polls, her victory margin had witnessed a gradual decline over the past few elections. Sonia's victory margin, which was 3.72 lakh in 2009 LS polls, declined to 3.52 lakh in 2014 and further to 1.67 lakh in the 2019 LS elections, signaling a steady erosion of her support base. Several local leaders had also deserted the party in the past few years.