Chunav Flashback: Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat has always been a Congress stronghold. The parliamentary constituency is represented by Congress patriarch Sonia Gandhi for nearly two decades now, since 2006.
As the Lok Sabha elections are underway in the country, this time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) aims to take hold of this key seat. Though BJP looks to grab the throne in Congress' bastion, it's not like that the saffron camp has not won Rae Bareli in the past.
In 1996 and 1998 Lok Sabha elections, BJP's Ashok Singh claimed victory in Rae Bareli. In 1996, Ashok Singh defeated Janata Dal's Ashok Singh and BSP's Babulal Lodhi, while in 1998, he defeated Samajwadi Party's Surendra Bahadur Singh.
Ashok Singh's political journey
- 1987: Block Pramukh, Amawa, Rae Bareli
- 1989-92: Member, Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly (two terms)
- 1996: Elected to 11th Lok Sabha
- 1996-98: Member, Committee on Urban and Rural Development
- 1998: Re-elected to 12th Lok Sabha (2nd term)
- 1998-99: Member, Committee on Human Resource Development and its Sub-Committee on Drug Control, Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Chairman, District. Co-operative Bank Ltd. since 1994.
However, after 1998, the saffron party has not been able to take hold in Rae Bareli. Except Congress, BJP and Janata Party, no other party has ever claimed victory in Raebareli.
It's one of the key seats in Uttar Pradesh as various Congress veterans including Feroze Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi have fought elections from here.
Sonia Gandhi is the incumbent MP from Raebareli, however, she has now switched to Rajya Sabha. With no Sonia Gandhi this time in Rae Bareli, BJP leaders are upbeat that they will be able to win this seat.
Raebareli Lok Sabha Election 2024
BJP and Congress are in the direct contest in Rae Bareli but none of them has announced their candidates so far. Uttar Pradesh has a total of 80 Lok Sabha seats. Polling in the state is taking place in all the seven phases.
Polling in Rae Bareli will take place in the fifth phase on May 20.
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