Rahul Gandhi to contest from Rae Bareli, KL Sharma from Amethi

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha election from the Rae Bareli seat, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi earlier.Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, the party said in a statement on Friday. Sharma was the key person who looked after the two prestigious constituencies in the absence of the Gandhis. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, its current chief Mallikarjun Kharge, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be in Rae Bareli during the nomination filing, the party said.

Rahul and Sharma will file their nomination papers on Friday, the last date for the filing of nominations for the seats. The two seats will go to polls on May 20 in the fifth of the seven-phase general election. Ending days of suspense, the party announced the candidates from the two seats early Friday.

Deliberations had been on in the party since Thursday on the names of the contenders for the two seats, which have been traditionally held by the members of the Gandhi-Nehru family. The BJP had on Thursday announced Dinesh Pratap Singh as its candidate from Rae Bareli. He had lost to Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Posters and banners of Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were also brought late last evening to the Congress office in Gauriganj. BJP leader Smriti Irani has already filed her nomination papers from Amethi. The Uttar Pradesh leadership of the Congress had earlier called upon the Gandhi family to contest both the seats. Congress loyalist K L Sharma filed his nomination from Amethi Lok Sabha seat here on Friday.

Sharma filed his papers at the collectorate, accompanied by local Congress leaders. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra earlier in the day urged the the public in Amethi to vote for Sharma. Soon after her arrival in the constituency, Priyanka headed for the party office in Gauriganj and met Sharma. She also addressed party workers to ensure his victory. She later left for Rae Bareli to accompany Rahul Gandhi who will file his nomination from the constituency earlier represented by his mother Sonia Gandhi. Sharma's candidature from the Amethi seat was announced early Friday, the last day for filing of nomination for the polling slated in the fifth phase on May 20.

Sharma is pitted against BJP leader and sitting MP Smriti Irani.