Renovation and cleaning activities at Rahul Gandhi’s residence in Amethi, after Congress did not announce any candidate for Amethi and Raebareli, have fueled speculation over his potential candidacy in Amethi alongside his Wayanad seat in Kerala.
Images of the ongoing renovation, located near the local Congress Party office in Gauriganj, circulated widely on social media, prompting speculations within political circles. So far, UP state Congress leaders have declined to confirm Rahul’s candidacy, stating it’s his decision.
Despite the ambiguity, Singh expressed confidence in Rahul’s victory if he chooses to contest from Amethi. Rahul had previously indicated that his candidacy in Amethi would be decided by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and the party’s central election committee.
In the 2019 LS polls, Rahul lost Amethi to Smriti Irani but won Wayanad. The Congress is yet to announce candidates for Amethi and Raebareli, previously represented by Sonia Gandhi, who has since been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
Deepak Singh, a former UP Legislative Assembly member and close associate of Rahul, emphasised the public’s desire for Rahul to contest from Amethi but downplayed the renovation’s significance.
“The people of Amethi want Rahul Gandhi to contest from the seat….they want him to represent them in the Parliament” Singh said.
On being asked if the renovation work was a pointer that Rahul might contest from Amethi, Singh said that it was “routine work” and had nothing to do with Rahul’s candidature.
He, however, expressed confidence that Rahul would win Amethi “hands down” if he decided to contest from there.
Pertinent to mention that Telangana Congress leaders had also requested Rahul Gandhi to contest from one of the Parliamentary constituencies in the state in addition to Wayanad or Amethi. The Telangana Congress leadership had expressed that Rahul will win by a huge margin in either from Nalgonda, Khammam or Bhuvanagri. Notably, Congress is yet to announce the names of its candidate for Khammam and few other constituencies in Telangana.
