Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who emerged victorious from two Lok Sabha seats in 2024, will keep his family bastion of Raebareli and vacate the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala .
With this development comes the news of Rahul's sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's poll debut as now she would be contesting from Kerala's Wayanad.
Elaborating on his decision at today's press conferenece, Rahul Gandhi said, "I have an emotional connection with both Raebareli and Wayanad. I was the Wayanad MP for the last five years and people of Wayanad gave me love, for which I thank them. Priyanka will contest from Wayanad, but I will continue to visit Wayanad and the promises we made to Wayanad... we will fulfil them. I have a long relation with Raebareli and I am very happy that I will be representing it. This was not an easy decision, because affection is with both (Wayanad and Raebareli)."
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi tasted victory with impressive margins in both the Lok Sabha seats he contested- Wayanad in Kerala and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh.
Today's decision was announced after Congress' top leadership assembled at party head Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in New Delhi for an extensive discussion.
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.
