Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and cousin of Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi — Varun Gandhi – has rejected his party’s offer to fight the Lok Sabha election from Gandhi bastion Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, according to sources. Sources also added that Varun Gandhi had been “considering” the offer for over a week after the party came up with the proposal. BJP’s proposal stemmed from consistent media reports that the Congress is serious about fielding Priyanka Gandhi from the seat.
Sources said more than a week back, Varun Gandhi, who was dropped from his Pilibhit seat, was approached by the BJP leadership. Sources also said that UP BJP, which was instrumental in him not getting a ticket from Pilibhit, was on board with the idea. When approached, Varun Gandhi sought time to “think over”, said sources and only recently, he rejected that offer citing his unwillingness to wade into an electoral fight that is bound to get personal and murky.
The BJP remained tight-lipped about the development. BJP’s UP Vice President Vijay Bahadur Pathak had a simple answer, “I have no idea about. Anyways I am not authorised to speak. Ask BJP spokespersons.” When asked about the same, a BJP spokesperson refused to comment on it and requested not to be named on even him declining to comment on this matter.
One of the reasons the BJP was hopeful about Varun’s nod was that his mother Maneka Gandhi fought, though unsuccessfully, against Rajiv Gandhi — father of Priyanka Gandhi – in the 1984 election. She has been on record about the alleged ill-treatment meted out to her and young Varun Gandhi by the Gadhis after his father Sanjay Gandhi died.
Jitin Prasada is fighting from Pilibhit on a BJP ticket while Varun’s mother Maneka Gandhi remains in her seat — Sultanpur.
Rae Bareli, a seat that was occupied for four consecutive terms by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, fell vacant after she chose to go to Parliament through the Rajya Sabha route this time. While the Congress hasn’t announced candidates of either Amethi or Rae Bareli, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, in a recent interview, claimed a “surprise” is in store for both seats.
Before Sonia, former PM Indira Gandhi had won from Rae Bareli thrice. The seat also elected Indira’s husband Feroze Gandhi twice — in 1952 and 1957.
It is, therefore, widely presumed the Congress wants a ‘Gandhi’ to contest from this family bastion and Priyanka is speculated to be ahead in the race, something that was hinted at by senior Congressman AK Antony as well.
While Rae Bareli continues to be a Congress stronghold, its ‘hold’ has been weakening over the years. Two strong MLAs of Rae Bareli — Samajwadi Party’s Manoj Pandey and Congress’s Aditi Singh — are now with the BJP, adding worries for the grand old party.
What adds to the Congress’s worry is the nosediving vote share of the Congress in the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency despite successive wins. Sonia Gandhi had a 72% vote share in the 2009 Lok Sabha election, while it declined to 63% in 2014 and 55% in 2019.
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