Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress fields Rahul Gandhi from Raebareli, Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi

It's official. Congress leader and Wayanad Member of Parliament (MP) Rahul Gandhi will contest Lok Sabha Elections 2024 from Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli seat – the Nehru-Gandhi family stronghold vacated by his mother, Sonia Gandhi.

Kishori Lal Sharma, Gandhi family loyalist, has been fielded from Amethi, the seat that Rahul Gandhi lost to in 2019.

The Congress party released the names of candidates on May 3, the last date of filing of nominations for the two seats, thus ending the weeks-long speculation about party candidates for the two seats. 

Raebareli and Amethi will go to polls in the fifth phase of on May 20. Rahul has already contested the Lok Sabha elections from Kerala's Wayanad seat that he won in 2019. Wayanad went to polls in second phase on April 26.

The (BJP) on May 2 announced UP minister as its candidate from Raebareli. Singh had lost to Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Sonia Gandhi, who has been winning Raebareli seat since 2004, decided to opt out of Lok Sabha race in 2024. She is now a Rajya Sabha member.

Both Rahul and Sharma will be accompanied by top Congress leaders during their nomination filing today. Sharma is a long time Gandhi family loyalist and has been constituency representative for Sonia Gandhi in Raibareli.

Even before the official announcement, the party started making preparations for the nomination filing in both the seats, which have been traditionally held by members of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

A long time Congress loyalist hails from Ludhiana, Punjab. Sharma's association with Congress party goes back to 1983 when he started working with Rajiv Gandhi after leaving Punjab. 

Later, he worked with Sonia Gandhi as in charge of the Amethi constituency which she contested in 1999.