National News Politics

After Jan Ki Baat’s Ground Report On Raebareli, Sonia Gandhi Files Rajya Sabha Nomination From Rajasthan

February 14, 2024
The Commune

The Commune conversation on December 2023  with Pradeep Bhandari, the founder of Jan Ki Baat that specializes in election surveys and predictions, the discussion revolved around the upcoming elections and future predictions. When we asked Pradeep Gandhi if Sonia Gandhi would win in Raebareli, Pradeep confidently said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the Congress loses Raebareli this time as well.”

Pradeep’s foresight proved accurate, with Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party, opting for a Rajya Sabha seat on 14 February 2024 just a month before the expected Lok Sabha election schedule announcement. This surprising move comes as a departure from seeking re-election from Raebareli, a constituency she has held since 2004, leading to speculation and astonishment within the party.

Pradeep Bhandari also carried detailed reports from ground zero (Raebareili) where it was revealed that Sonia Gandhi had visited her constituency only once. The state of the roads in the constituency were telling.

After the prediction becoming viral, Sonia Gandhi decided to compete from Rajasthan that too on a Rajya Sabha ticket. It is said that Rajasthan is a state where the Congress stands a strong chance of securing one of the three available seats in the elections scheduled for 27 February 2024.

Despite suggestions from the Karnataka and Telangana units of the party for Sonia’s candidacy in the Rajya Sabha polls in their respective states, the party opted against it due to the presence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Karnataka and Rahul Gandhi serving as an MP from Kerala. Within the Congress, there is a belief that Sonia’s decision to contest from Rajasthan is intended to affirm the Gandhi family’s connection to the Hindi heartland, particularly in response to the criticism faced by Rahul for contesting from Wayanad and Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In the 2019 elections, the Congress faced a substantial setback in the Hindi heartland. Rahul Gandhi, the party’s prominent leader, suffered a defeat in Amethi, losing to Smriti Irani. The party encountered a lack of success in securing any seats in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Delhi. It managed to win only one seat each in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, and secured two seats in Chhattisgarh.  Indian Express reported that Rahul might choose to contest once again from Amethi and Wayanad, while Priyanka Gandhi could potentially take her mother’s place in Raebareli.

Sonia Gandhi’s Electoral Journey

Sonia Gandhi, who initially entered the political arena as an MP from Amethi in 1999 before transitioning to represent Raebareli in 2004, is poised to make history as the second member of the Nehru-Gandhi family to enter the Rajya Sabha, emulating the path of her mother-in-law, the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Traditionally, the Gandhi family has sought political backing from southern states during challenging periods, yet the Rajya Sabha route has been infrequently chosen. Indira Gandhi herself embarked on this route early in her political career, successfully contesting and winning from Karnataka in 1978. Later, in 1980, she strategically opted for Medak in undivided Andhra Pradesh. Similarly, in 1999, Sonia Gandhi chose Bellary in Karnataka when she made her entry into politics.

(With inputs From IndianExpress)

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