The development comes amid speculations that Priyanka Gandhi was tipped to make her electoral debut from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, a bastion of the Gandhis.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is unlikely to contest the upcoming general elections, a media report said Thursday, quoting top sources in the grand-old party.
Citing sources within the Congress, a report by India Today said Priyanka Gandhi, the party’s general secretary is “very unlikely” to contest the Lok Sabha polls.
The development comes amid speculations that Priyanka was tipped to make her electoral debut from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, a bastion of the Gandhis, following her mother and sitting MP Sonia Gandhi deciding to contest the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
“Roots of our family in Rae Bareli are very deep. I know you will stand by me and my family in future, just as in the past,” Sonia said in a letter addressed to the people of her Raebareli constituency, hinting that she was mulling to hand over the reigns of the Gandhi stronghold to her daughter Priyanka.
However, despite the speculations, there has been no official confirmation from the Congress as of Thursday evening as the party’s top brass holds a meeting of the Congress’ Central Election Committee (CEC) in the national capital to finalise candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.
Congress CEC meet underway
The CEC meeting is being attended by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal, as well as other senior leaders who are part of the Congress’ poll panel.
The Congress is likely to finalise candidates for Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Telangana, Lakshadweep, Kerala, Meghalaya, Tripura, Sikkim and Manipur, among others, during the meeting.
The Congress has not declared any candidate so far. Last week, the BJP came out with its first list of 195 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.
Congress to announce 1st list of candidates
Citing Congress sources, a PTI report said the party is likely to declare its first list of candidates soon to enable the candidates to start their poll campaign.
Speculation is rife over Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Amethi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s from Rae Bareli, a constituency previously held by Sonia Gandhi. Both the seats are considered bastions of the Gandhi family and the local units of the Congress have demanded that the two scions of the Congress first family should contest from there.
Rahul Gandhi, who was previously an MP from Amethi, lost the seat in 2019 but won from Wayanad in Kerala.
Meanwhile, several state units of the Congress have already held meetings of their respective screening committees and have forwarded the list of probable candidates in their states.
Chaired by party president Kharge, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the committee also includes Congress general secretary K C Venugopal, Ambika Soni, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, T S Singhdeo and Mohammad Jawaid, among others.
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