Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi: UP Congress chief Ajay Rai

Lucknow: Newly appointed chief of UP Congress Committee, Ajay Rai, on Friday said party MP Rahul Gandhi will contest the 2024 general election from Amethi, the Gandhi family's legacy seat that Gandhi represented three times before losing to the BJP's Smriti Irani in 2019.

"Rahul Gandhi will absolutely contest polls from Amethi," Rai told media persons a day after he was appointed UP Congress' new chief, replacing Brijlal Khabri.

He said if Priyanka Gandhi wishes to contest from Varanasi, every Congress worker will pull all stops to make her win.


His statement on Rahul Gandhi triggered speculation on whether he will be contesting from both Amethi and Wayanad once again. Gandhi remained unavailable for comment.

UP Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told ET, "The bond between Amethi and the Gandhi family is not just dependent on elections. Rahul ji's relationship with Amethi extends beyond his membership, which is why he also made sure to send help during Covid-19. We all want him to contest from Amethi but the final decision will be taken by him."

Reacting to the statement, UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said, "Rahul Gandhi migrated from Amethi after getting defeated there. Now, Amethi is not ready to accept him again."