Rahul Gandhi is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Rae Bareli seat, which is currently held by his mother Sonia Gandhi, who has become a member of the Rajya Sabha. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced its candidate, Dinesh Pratap Singh, for the Rae Bareli constituency. Singh had previously lost to Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

According to sources, the Congress party is still to announce its nominees for the constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. However, it is expected that a loyalist of the Congress leader may be fielded from Amethi. The last date for filing nominations for the seats going to polls on May 20 is May 3. All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that the deadline for filing nomination papers is 3 pm on May 3.

Traditionally, both the Rae Bareli and Amethi seats have been held by members of the Gandhi-Nehru family. If Rahul Gandhi is fielded from Rae Bareli, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi is likely to attend his nomination process. For the Amethi seat, the Congress party has prepared the grandson of former Congress leader, Sheila Kaul, as an alternative candidate. Rahul Gandhi and his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, already have their nomination papers ready.

Rahul Gandhi, who currently represents Kerala’s Wayanad constituency, had earlier stated that he will follow whatever order he receives from the party. The Rae Bareli constituency, considered as the traditional pocket borough of the Gandhi-Nehru family, was previously represented by Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2019. The Amethi seat has been represented by Rahul Gandhi since 2004, and he remained the Member of Parliament from there for three consecutive terms until 2019.

The Congress party, as part of the INDIA bloc, has forged an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh and is contesting 17 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The general elections began on April 19, and the counting of votes will be held on June 4.