Sonia Gandhi is an Indian politician of Italian descent. By way of her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi, she is a member of the Nehru–Gandhi family. She was a former president of the Congress party. In 1998, she took over as the party leader and remained in office for a record nineteen years. Under her leadership, the party formed the government post the 2004 elections. She has since been credited for being instrumental in formulating the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). After the 2004 victory, Gandhi declined the premiership and instead led the ruling alliance and the National Advisory Council. In 2009, UPA was re-elected to power. Her foreign birth has been a subject of much debate and controversy. In December 2017, she stepped down as the Congress president. Sonia Gandhi has been widely described as one of the most powerful politicians in the country. She is also listed among the most powerful women in the world. Early life: She was born in a small village near Vicenza, Italy and was raised in a Roman Catholic Christian family. For higher education, she moved to Cambridge and in 1968, married Rajiv Gandhi. After marriage, she took up Indian citizenship and began living in India. Following her husband's assassination, she finally agreed to join politics in 1997.
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Rahul Gandhi is the incumbent Lok Sabha MP from Kerala's Wayanad. In 2024 elections, he is contesting from two seats -- Wayanad once again and Rae Bareli for the firs time. Rae Bareli has remained a Congress' stronghold for decades.
Lok Sabha elections: Acharya Pramod Krishnam's comments assume significance because there were speculations that Priyanka Gandhi would contest from Rae Bareli.
Polling in Rae Bareli will take place in the fifth phase on May 20. Amethi, where the Congress scion lost to BJP's Smriti Irani by a margin of 55,000 votes in 2019, will also vote in the fifth phase.
Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination from Rae Bareli, a Congress' stronghold, in the presence of Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Mallikarjun Kharge, ex-Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Robert Vadra.
India's number one and most followed Super Prime Time News Show, ‘Aaj Ki Baat-Rajat Sharma Ke Saath' was launched just before the 2014 general elections.
The Congress had kept the suspense going over whether or not Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would contest from Amethi and Raebareli, till the early morning of the last day of nomination filing. The declaration came with a twist, Rahul Gandhi opted out from Amethi.
The NDA, consisting of various right-wing parties, experienced changes in leadership over time, with Narendra Modi leading the charge in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. Despite facing hurdles like the collapse of the govt due to the withdrawal of support by the AIADMK, NDA bounced back in 1999.
Rae Bareli constituency has long been synonymous with the Congress party and the indomitable Gandhi family's influence in Indian politics. The seat has witnessed the rise and resilience of the Gandhi family's political dynasty, making it a focal point of attention during each Lok Sabha election.
Congress has announced its candidates on the two key seats in Uttar Pradesh -- Amethi and Rae Bareli with Rahul Gandhi contesting on the latter and Sonia Gandhi loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma fighting on the Amethi seat against BJP's Smriti Irani.
The speculations continue over Congress' candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli seats for the Lok Sabha elections. Friday (May 3) is the last date for filing of nominations for the seats that will go to polls on May 20.
While Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh may have been denied the ticket, the fact that the seat's contest remains within the family shows how influential the Thakur leader and six-time MP is in the region and the party.
Sonia Gandhi is reportedly keen on strategically positioning her children, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. However, there seems to be a slight hitch in Sonia's plan as Rahul Gandhi is hesitant about running for elections from two separate seats.
Polling in Rae Bareli is scheduled to take place in the fifth phase on May 20. It's one of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. Congress patriarch is the incumbent MP from Rae Bareli, however, she is not contesting Lok Sabha elections.
Captain Satish Sharma was the only Congress candidate, other than the Gandhis, who was made to contest elections from Amethi. He won both the 1991 and 1998 Lok Sabha elections.
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: As per the reports, Sonia Gandhi will engage in campaigning in Raebareli for the Congress candidate's victory from the seat. The special 24 team, which includes both local and national-level leaders, has been formed to support this endeavour.
Bellary remained a Congress stronghold from 1952 to 2000, however, from 2004 to 2018, the seat was with the BJP. The saffron party lost it to Congress in 2018 bypolls but won it again in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
BJP's Smriti Irani is the incumbent MP from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi while Sonia Gandhi from Raebareli. However, the Congress patriarch has already moved to Rajya Sabha. In such a scenario, the 'Grand Old Party' will definitely put its best bet forward to maintain dominance in Raebareli.
Polling in Jharkhand, which has a total of 14 Lok Sabha seats, will take place in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh phase. Members of 28 opposition parties are expected to participate in I.N.D.I.A bloc's rally in Ranchi.
The two high-profile constituencies were long considered the bastions of the Gandhi family. The Congress Uttar Pradesh in-charge has said the names would be announced at the "right time".
Sonia Gandhi attacked the BJP-led Centre and alleged that the Opposition leaders are being forced to join the ruling camp. She also termed the alleged act of the BJP a "dictatorship" and said that a befitting reply will be given to the party.
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