The Congress is all set to end the suspense over Lok Sabha candidates for the prestigious Amethi and Raebareli constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. The party's Central Election Committee (CEC) has empowered Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge to take a decision, which will be announced within 24 hours, party leader Jairam Ramesh said.
"Nobody is scared, no one is running away," he said.
The Congress has kept the suspense going for Amethi and Raebareli constituencies, not naming candidates for them in the latest list of names for the Lok Sabha polls released on Tuesday.
Congress workers in Amethi held a protest yesterday over delay in the announcement.
Slogans of "Amethi mange Gandhi parivar (Amethi demands the Gandhi family)" were raised by Congress workers sitting on a protest outside the party office.
Speculation has been rife that the party would field its former president Rahul Gandhi - who lost the family bastion in a shock defeat to the BJP's Smriti Irani in 2019 - from Amethi again and he will contest both from there and Kerala's Wayanad like he did in the last Lok Sabha elections.
For Raebareli, which was held by Sonia Gandhi since 2004, the name doing the rounds has been of Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, whose electoral debut is expected to enthuse party workers.
On the buzz about Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress leader Rajeev Shukla said the decision will be taken by the CEC. "The Gandhi family is very popular and lakhs of people are coming to their public meetings. The decision has been now left to the CEC," Mr Shukla said.
Election for both seats is due on May 20, the fifth phase.
The Congress will contest 17 of UP's 80 Lok Sabha seats, with the remaining 63 going to INDIA bloc ally Samajwadi Party and regional outfits.
Union minister Smriti Irani, meanwhile, has filed her nomination from Amethi, expressing confidence about a second consecutive term. Asked whether she would prefer Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as an opponent, she told NDTV, "I could not care less. Whoever comes will lose".
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