Rahul Gandhi set to contest from Raebareli, Kishori Lal eyes Amethi in Lok Sabha elections

Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Gandhi family, is poised to join the Lok Sabha elections from the Raebareli constituency, previously held by his mother, as announced by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in a press release issued on May 3. At the same time, Kishori Lal will be contesting from Amethi, a seat lost by Rahul to BJP's Smriti Irani in 2019.

In response, BJP announced Dinesh Pratap Singh as its nominee from Raebareli, who had contested against Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The nomination filing deadline for the seats scheduled for polling on May 20 in the fifth phase of the seven-phase general elections closed on May 3, prompting the party to gear up for the nomination process in both constituencies.

Rahul Gandhi, who represented Amethi from 2004 until 2019 and currently holds the Wayanad constituency in Kerala, has expressed his readiness to comply with the party's directives.

Raebareli, long considered a stronghold of the Gandhi-Nehru family, was previously represented by Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2024. Prior to that, Sonia Gandhi contested and represented the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in 1999, succeeding Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in the seat.