Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday formally informed the Lok Sabha Speaker’s office about retaining the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat and vacating the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala.
According to sources, the Congress leader submitted the letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker for this on Tuesday within the two week period required to relinquish one of the two seats.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had on Monday announced Ms Priyanka Gandhi’s candidature from Wayanad. If Ms Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family will be in Parliament — Mrs Sonia Gandhi in Rajya Sabha and Mr Rahul Gandhi and Ms Priyanka Gandhi in the Lok Sabha.
Ms Priyanka Gandhi said on Monday that she will contest the bypoll from Wayanad but her decades-old association with Amethi and Rae Bareli will continue.
“I am very happy to be able to represent Wayanad and I will not let them feel his (Rahul Gandhi’s) absence. I will work hard and I will try my best to make everyone happy and be a good representative. I have a very old relationship with Rae Bareli and Amethi and it cannot be broken. I will also help my brother in Rae Bareli. We will both be present in Rae Bareli and Wayanad,” Ms Priyanka Gandhi said.
Several Congress leaders hailed the duo’s decision on the party’s two prominent seats. Pramod Tiwari lauded Rahul Gandhi’s decision to retain the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and called it the “right political decision.”
Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday extended greetings to party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on entering the poll battle from Kerala’s Wayanad, stating that the people of the constituency would bless the latter and make her their voice.