Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi will keep the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and vacate the Wayanad seat in Kerala from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on Monday.
Kharge was speaking to reporters after the Congress’ top leadership held discussions on the issue at his residence in New Delhi.
“Rahul Gandhi won from two Lok Saba seats but as per the law, he has to vacate one. Rahul Gandhi will retain Rae Bareli and we have decided that Priyanka ji will fight from Wayanad,” the Congress president said.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party general secretaries K C Venugopal and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among those present during the discussions.
After the decision, Rahul Gandhi said both Rae Bareli and Wayanad “will get two MPs”.
Rahul Gandhi had won from Wayanad and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies and he has to vacate one of the seats within 14 days of the Lok Sabha results, which came out on June 4.
“I won’t let the people of Wayanad feel Rahul’s absence,” Priyanka Gandhi said.
On Rahul Gandhi to keep Raebareli seat and Priyanka Gandhi to contest elections from Wayanad, Congress leader Ajay Rai told ANI , “It was the demand of the people of Uttar Pradesh and all of us in the party that Rahul Gandhi keep the Raebareli seat because it has been a family seat… We will further strive to strengthen the party… Priyanka Gandhi will be successful in keeping the Congress family intact and will prove to be an able leader… Priyanka Gandhi strengthened the party in the country and made it capable of contesting against PM Narendra Modi…”
