The indecisive attitude of the Congress’ first family in announcing candidates for Rae Bareli and Amethi Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh has caused much confusion on the prospects of the INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh.

Though the senior party leaders are still confident that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest from Rae Bareli and her brother Rahul from Amethi, the Congress high command is still indecisive and no announcements have been made so far.

On the other hand, the demand by party workers to field Congress General Secretary Priyanka Vadra in the election campaign has intensified in Rae Bareli, the stronghold of the Gandhi family.

According to party sources, Priyanka has also got the green signal from the high command to contest the elections. Only a formal announcement is left.

Congress is in no mood to lose the only seat it won in Uttar Pradesh in 2019 general elections under any circumstances. This seat got vacant after Sonia Gandhi was elected to the Rajya Sabha. Congress, which is always the first to field its candidates, is maintaining a silence this time.

Congress leaders also think that the party can save this seat only if it fields a candidate from the Gandhi family.

After winning the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, Sonia Gandhi maintained a distance from the people of Rae Bareli. In the last five years, Sonia Gandhi’s visit to Rae Bareli was scheduled several times, but then it got cancelled.

BJP and Congress are eyeing each other to decide the candidate for Rae Bareli parliamentary seat.

According to reports, if Priyanka contests the elections, BJP can bet on the local candidate. Dinesh Pratap Singh has contested the election last time and SP MLA Dr Manoj Pandey, who quit his party, has become a strong pillar for the BJP. However, both the parties are still to announce their candidates from this seat.

Meanwhile, a similar situation prevails in Amethi too, the suspense regarding the Congress candidate is increasing in the district.

The public has now started asking the name of the candidate while talking to Congress leaders, who are trying to avoid the conversation. The situation is such that Congress leaders in the district are not able to convey the party’s policies to the people.

There is still speculation about Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi contesting the elections in Amethi. Although Rahul is contesting the elections from Wayanad, the Congressmen, who have been supporting the Gandhi family for a long time, have now started avoiding speaking on the issue.

To avoid questions about the Congress candidate, party officials are not even going among the public.

After Rahul Gandhi’s Nyaya Yatra on 19 February, the round of meetings of workers in the Congress office continued for a week but now, officials are not even attending office.

Congress District President Pradeep Singhal said that he was discharging the responsibility given to him in the organisation. Right now, people are asking only one question: when will the party candidate be announced. ”We will find the answer to this soon,” he said.