As the Congress party prepares to announce its candidates for the Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies today, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that the party wants Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to run for the seats, assuring that the grand old party will not be “jolted.” When asked about the delay caused by the grand-old party in announcing candidates for two of its heartland seats, Ramesh stated that the party would surely want both of them (Rahul and Priyanka) to run. However, their decision to contest is a separate matter.

With only one day left to file nominations for phase 5 of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress’s candidates for the Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies remained unknown. Notably, Rahul Gandhi has already filed nomination papers from Wayanad, Kerala, and is expected to run in Amethi as well, according to media reports.

Rahul’s candidature for Amethi, which he lost to BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019, will be officially announced today, Thursday, with nominations set for Friday, according to news agency ANI. According to ANI, party officials are pitching Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the seat previously held by Sonia Gandhi.

While an official notification is pending, Amethi and Rae Bareli were formerly strongholds for the Congress before the 2019 elections. Amethi will go to the polls on May 20, with the nomination deadline on May 3.

Rahul’s defeat in Amethi in 2019 was a big setback for the Congress, which had previously been considered a bastion. He represented the constituency in the Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2019, succeeding his father Rajiv Gandhi and before his mother Sonia Gandhi’s term.