Congress President Rahul Gandhi will contest the coming Lok Sabha elections from a second seat, Kerala’s Wayanad.
Senior party leader AK Anthony announced on Sunday morning. This would be the first time that Mr. Gandhi would be contesting from a second seat, his mother Sonia Gandhi and grandmother contested from dual seats in the past elections.
Rahul Gandhi who has been representing Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi constituency since 2004, may have doubts as the BJP have fielded Union minister and TV personality Smriti Irani. In 2014, too Ms. Irani contested from Amethi, but lost. She has been vigorously campaigning in Amethi for a while now, hurling jibes at Mr. Gandhi and his family.
After the news was announced, Ms. Irani claimed she “drove him away”.
The Congress retaliated saying BJP comments were “immature”.
However there a lots of leaders who stand from multiple seats, like for example Narendra Modi stood from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Vadodara in Gujarat.
Randeep Singh Surjewala said, Rahul Gandhi by representing Wayanad, which borders Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, he would be able to represent the 3 neighbouring states as well.
Rahul Gandhi, he said, “considers Amethi a part of his family.”
“I will represent Amethi but I will also represent the southern states for they are an important part of India’s way of life and India’ way forward,’ he added.
Wayanad will vote on the 23rd of April and Amethi on the 6th of May, and the counting of votes begin on the 23rd of May.