Lok Sabha polls: Rahul Gandhi to file nomination papers in Amethi on Saturday

NEW DELHI: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, who faces a triangular contest from the family pocket borough of Amethi, will file his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha polls on April 12.

Gandhi is likely to be accompanied by his sister Priyanka. A two-time MP from Amethi, Gandhi is locked in a triangular contest this time with BJP candidate Smriti Irani and Kumar Vishwas from Aam Aadmi Party pitted against him.

Though the Congress Vice President has won the seat in 2004 and 2009 elections with huge margins, Congress has lost in three of the five assembly seats falling under Amethi Parliamentary seats during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2012.

Amethi goes to polls on May 7 and the poll process for filing nominations starts on April 12 with the issue of notification. Gandhi will file his nomination on Saturday, party sources said today.

The constituency is better known to be the seat of power of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty since 1980, when Sanjay Gandhi represented it once and later Rajiv Gandhi represented the seat four times.

Sonia Gandhi also represented the seat but later shifted to Rae Bareily, to vacate the seat for Rahul. Former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru also represented the seat.