Gandhi family loyalist KL Sharma fielded from Amethi against Irani

Finally, the suspense was over about the Congress candidates from the two high-profile Lok Sabha seats in UP — Amethi and Raebareli as the party leadership on Friday announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest from Raebareli and Gandhi family loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma will fight from Amethi.

- VINAY KUMAR

After weeks of speculation that Rahul Gandhi may file his nomination from Amethi, a seat he has represented thrice in the Lok Sabha, the Congress leader was shifted to the neighbouring constituency of Raebareli which had been held by his mother Sonia Gandhi. The Gandhi scion will face BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh this time.

This seat is considered to be one of the safest seats for the Congress as the party has won it for 17 times out of the 20 elections witnessed so far.

Raebareli also delivered a shocker in its electoral history as a sitting Prime Minister lost an election from here. Indira Gandhi had to suffer defeat at the hands of Janata Party candidate Raj Narain in 1977 just after Emergency. Earlier, the seat had been represented in the Lok Sabha by Feroze Gandhi, grandfather of Rahul Gandhi.

From Amethi, the Congress relied upon Kishori Lal Sharma to take on Union Minister Smriti Irani who had defeated Rahul Gandhi in 2019 elections.