Congress’ Rahul Gandhi vs BJP’s Dinesh Pratap Singh in Raebareli: Here’s how the past fights shaped up

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is set to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades.

In Rae Bareli, it’s a showdown between Rahul Gandhi and Dinesh Pratap Singh. The Congress party announced Rahul Gandhi’s candidacy, hoping he’ll secure their stronghold. Meanwhile, the BJP named Dinesh Pratap Singh to challenge Gandhi in Rae Bareli.

The Congress made a significant move just a day before the nomination deadline ended. Rae Bareli will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 20.

Gandhi’s decision to contest from Rae Bareli has brought attention back to this long-standing Congress stronghold. The seat was originally won by his grandfather, Feroze Gandhi, in 1952. Indira Gandhi, his grandmother, further solidified the family’s grip on the constituency by winning in 1967, 1971, and 1980. Over the years, the seat has remained within the circle of friends and family of the Gandhi family.

The party had earlier chosen KL Sharma to contest from Amethi, the seat Rahul Gandhi lost to Smriti Irani in 2019, dropping Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the race.

Rae Bareli

The seat has a storied past, with notable figures like Arun Nehru, Sheila Kaul, and Satish Sharma, all linked to the Gandhi family, having represented it in the past. Even when the Congress did not control the seat, its ties to the Gandhi family remained firm. From Arun Nehru, a significant figure in Rajiv Gandhi’s government, to Sheila Kaul, Indira Gandhi’s aunt, the constituency has been a stronghold for the Congress party.

In 1980, Indira Gandhi ran for elections in two places—Rae Bareli and Medak in Telangana—and decided to keep the Medak seat. Arun Nehru won the 1980 by-election and later in 1984.

Arun Nehru, a close aide to late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, along with other Gandhi family members like Sheila Kaul, returned to the Rae Bareli constituency. The seat was initially won by Congress’ RP Singh in the 1960 by-election after the passing of Feroze Gandhi, and later by another Congress leader, Baij Nath Kureel, in 1962.

Sheila Kaul, Indira Gandhi’s aunt, served as the representative for the seat in 1989 and 1991. In 1999, another close associate of the Gandhis, Satish Sharma, held the Rae Bareli constituency until Sonia Gandhi contested there.

The only time the Congress did not control the seat was after the Emergency in 1977 when Raj Narain of the Janata Party won. Additionally, Ashoke Singh of the BJP secured victories in 1996 and 1998.

When Sonia Gandhi started her political career, she chose to contest the neighboring Amethi Lok Sabha seat, once held by her husband Rajiv Gandhi. However, she soon vacated the seat in 2004 to pave the way for her son Rahul’s entry into politics.

Afterwards, Sonia Gandhi won the Rae Bareli seat four times between 2004 and 2019, although her winning margins have been decreasing recently.

The decision to field Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi is based on the belief that Rae Bareli is a more secure seat for him. This comes after Rahul lost Amethi to BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019 by a margin of almost 50,000 votes.

Sonia Gandhi, in her farewell message to the people of Rae Bareli, expressed confidence that the seat, which has been supportive of her and the Gandhi family, will continue to do so in the future. At the age of 77 and due to health concerns, she announced that she would not be contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, ending her tenure representing Rae Bareli since 2004.