Rahul Gandhi Dumps Wayanad as Congress Puts Priyanka For Electoral Debut

New Delhi: Putting an end to all the speculation, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge officially confirmed on Monday that Rahul Gandhi will keep his family bastion Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh and vacate the Wayanad seat for sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to contest. The announcement came after Congress’ top leadership on Monday held discussions at Kharge’s residence which was attended by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.  “Rahul Gandhi won 2 Lok Sabha seats but as per the law, he has to vacate one seat. Rahul Gandhi will keep the Raebareli seat and vacate Wayanad Lok Sabha seat”, said Kharge. In Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi defeated CPI leader Annie Raja with a substantial margin of over 3.6 lakh votes. Similarly, in Rae Bareli, he won with a margin of 3.9 lakh votes against BJP leader Dinesh Pratap Singh.    

If elected, this will be the first time Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will enter Parliament as an MP. This will also be the first time that all three Gandhi family members - Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka - will be in Parliament together. The BJP has, however, attacked the Congress for the decision saying it is a clear case of dynastic politics being practised. Ruling party spokesperson Shezad Poonawala said, "It proves that the Congress is not a party but a family company".

'Priyanka Being Scapegoated'

Amit Malviya, the BJP's National Information & Technology head, took a dig at Rahul Gandhi for evading his responsibilities for the third time. Malviya also noted that Gandhi had yet to decide whether he would assume the role of Leader of the Opposition. "Third Time Fail Rahul Gandhi is someone, who shirks responsibilities. He still hasn’t decided if he will be the LoP. Congress insists it is his position to decline. Earlier, he abandoned Amethi and now, despite being elected twice from Wayanad, has decided to stick with RaeBareli. In all this, Priyanka Vadra is being scapegoated," Malviya said, adding that "she was clearly the lesser of the two siblings".  

‘Doors Are Always Open For People of Wayanad’

Following Kharge's decision, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said "Priyanka Gandhi is going to fight the elections and I am confident that she is going to win the elections. The people of Wayanad can think that they have 2 members of the Parliament, one is my sister and the other is me. My doors are always open for the people of Wayanad, I love every single person in Wayanad."

What did Priyanka say?

 “I am very happy to be able to represent Wayanad and I will not let them feel his (Rahul Gandhi's) absence. I will work hard and I will try my best to make everyone happy and be a good representative. I have a very old relationship with Raebareli and Amethi and it cannot be broken. I will also help my brother in Raebareli. We will both be present in Raebareli and Wayanad”, said Priyanka in her first comments after being chosen to contest from the Wayanad seat in Kerala. 

After the announcement, Congress leaders and Brother-sister duo Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka also shared a hug, a video of which is doing rounds on social media.  

Rahul Gandhi had won both from Wayanad and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies and he has to vacate one of the seats within 14 days of the Lok Sabha results, which came out on June 4. The Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body of the party, has also urged Rahul Gandhi to take up the position of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and a resolution to this effect was passed by the CWC in its last meeting held on June 8.

How Annie Raja Reacted?

Senior CPI leader Annie Raja, who had contested against Rahul Gandhi in the recent Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad welcomed Rahul's decision to retain the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh and said it was a necessity in the present political circumstances prevailing in the country. She said Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party took the decision to vacate one of the constituencies as per the existing laws of the country.

"In the present political scenario, it is essential for a prominent leader like Rahul Gandhi to work in the Hindi heartland. So, there is nothing wrong in the decision," she told television channels.

When asked whether there is any chance for Priyanka Gandhi to contest as a common candidate of the India alliance, Raja said it was the collective decision taken within the alliance that in Kerala, the LDF and the UDF would contest independently in accordance with the political situation in the state.

Any change in the decision can be made only by the INDI alliance and its respective member parties, she said. "It is happy to know that the Congress party has decided to field a woman in the by-poll. The representation of women in the Lok Sabha has come down this time compared to the previous year. So, I wish more women would come," she added.