Rae Bareli janta celebrates as Rahul Gandhi retains family seat

LUCKNOW: Congress party’s decision to make Rahul Gandhi retain his family’s legacy seat Rae Bareli was taken well by the cadre and locals in the high-profile parliamentary constituency. The move has buoyed the party’s state brass.
“I am delighted over the decision. Rahul Gandhi kept his promise,” said Priti Shukla, a committed Congress supporter since 1966.“Rae Bareli’s generations-old relationship with the Gandhi family has been sealed with this decision,” said MK Singh, a resident of the town's Indira Nagar locality.
Local Congress brass said that they had been waiting for the formal announcement. “Somewhere in our hearts, we knew that Rahul Bhaiya would choose Rae Bareli over any other seat. The feeling was confirmed when Sonia Gandhi told the people of Rae Bareli that she was handing over her son to people of this pious land,” said VK Shukla, party’s former district president.
The move has energized the state brass too. Calling the decision, “the right political move”, Congress veteran and Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari said: “The decision doesn’t speak just for Rae Bareli. By choosing Rae Bareli, the Congress brass has strengthened the faith reposed by people across 43 of the 80 parliamentary constituencies which voted for the INDIA bloc.”
Hoping that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will win from Wayanad with a huge margin, Tiwari added: “The move will help UP gear up for the 2027 Vidhan Sabha and rebuild Congress across assembly segments.” Similar thoughts were expressed by AICC in-charge Avinash Pande, state president Ajai Rai and CLP Aradhana Mishra. Meanwhile, Congress workers in Rae Bareli burst crackers late on Monday to celebrate the decision. Workers also distributed sweets and held a bhandara on Tuesday.
Political analysts also saw the Congress decision as a prudent move. “By holding Rae Bareli as his constituency, Congress brass has ensured its base in Uttar Pradesh,” remarked Prof Sushil Pandey, political commentator and faculty at Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar University.