RAE BARELI: From keeping the six-decade-long tryst with the Nehru-Gandhi family to handing defeat to Indira Gandhi, Rae Bareli has played a part in shaping major political events in the country. With the Congress fielding Rahul Gandhi from the seat this time, his election is considered a done deal. The only question is about the margin of victory. Considered a ‘safe seat’ for the Congress, Rae Bareli has been its citadel in the worst of times, barring Indira’s defeat in 1977.
For the same reason, the Congress’s main rival, the BJP, has been attacking Rahul for running away from another family pocket borough, Amethi. However, the Congress has been projecting the family’s emotional connect and legacy as the reasons for his contest from Rae Bareli, which was represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi for two decades from 2004.
As for the BJP, its candidate and state minister Dinesh Pratap Singh is fighting for the second time from Rae Bareli. Singh lost to Sonia in the 2019 polls. While the BJP’s campaign was focused more on the Ram temple and the Modi government’s welfare schemes, rebellion from the party’s Rae Bareli Sadar MLA Aditi Singh was an internal challenge. “Some leaders have been bickering over ticket distribution. Dinesh Singh is also facing trouble from his constituency over land deals. The party should have fielded a stronger candidate,” said a BJP leader.
The Congress ran a high-octane campaign steered by party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi to build the narrative around the Nehru-Gandhi family’s 100-year connection to Rae Bareli. Sonia’s speech also struck a chord with the people. “It was an emotional speech. This is a Gandhi family stronghold and the result is a foregone conclusion. We expect that Rahul will win by a margin of 5 lakh votes,” says Monu Misra, who runs a tea shop.
Another resident Jitendra Yadav talks about the development works by the Gandhi family. “They brought a Rail Coach Factory, National Thermal Power Corporation, AIIMS, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy and Footwear Design Development Institute among others,” he says.
Samajwadi Party leader Y P Yadav, who contested the 2022 Assembly polls, says: “Workers from both parties are working to ensure a record victory for Rahul.”
The Gandhi family’s association with the constituency began in 1952, with the election of Feroze Gandhi, Indira’s husband. Later Indira and Sonia represented it in the Lok Sabha.