Lucknow- In the Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi's decision to leave the Amethi seat and contest from Rae Bareli has stirred political debates. However, political experts assert that Rahul Gandhi's move to contest from Rae Bareli isn't driven by fear of losing the Amethi seat but rather to uphold the family's political legacy.
Rae Bareli holds a significant position in the Congress party's history, being its oldest political stronghold. Rahul's grandfather, Firoz Gandhi, contested elections from this seat in 1957, marking the beginning of the Gandhi family's association with it.
Historically, whenever the Gandhi family has contested elections from Rae Bareli, they have emerged victorious. With Sonia Gandhi vacating the seat due to her departure from the Rajya Sabha, maintaining the family's claim over Rae Bareli became imperative.
This time, Rahul Gandhi has filed his nomination from the Rae Bareli seat of Uttar Pradesh, sparking criticism from opposition parties. The move has sparked intense political discussions, with various statements and viewpoints emerging.
However, political consultants assert that they have accurately analyzed the situation.
Senior journalist and political expert Rashid Kidwai, in his analysis for The Mooknayak, states that Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi is a strategic move aimed at preserving the family's political legacy. Nonetheless, the decision also raises concerns about nepotism or dynasty politics.
Rashid Kidwai emphasizes that Rae Bareli holds greater sensitivity for the Congress party compared to Amethi. Throughout history, whenever the Gandhi family has contested elections from Rae Bareli, they have consistently emerged victorious.
Firoz Gandhi's landslide victory in 1957 marked the beginning of this trend, followed by successful campaigns by Indira Gandhi and then Sonia Gandhi.
Rashid Kidwai further elaborates, stating, "It is often said that the path to the country's Prime Ministership traverses through the streets of Uttar Pradesh. However, in the 2019 general elections, the Congress party managed to secure only one out of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, while the Bharatiya Janata Party emerged victorious in the majority. The fact that Congress consistently secures victory in Rae Bareli speaks volumes about the stronghold it maintains in this region."
He continues, "Sonia Gandhi's decision to resign from the Rae Bareli seat and move to the Rajya Sabha, coupled with Priyanka Gandhi's reluctance to contest elections despite being a prominent campaigner for the Congress party, underscores the significance of safeguarding this safe seat. In such circumstances, it becomes imperative for Rahul Gandhi to contest elections from Rae Bareli to ensure the continuity of Congress's dominance in this stronghold."
Amethi has served as a significant bastion for the Congress Party to make its mark in politics over the past five decades. However, for the first time in 25 years, no member of the Gandhi family has laid claim to the Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh.
Amethi holds a storied history, deeply rooted in the political landscape of India. When the nation gained independence in 1947, like the 543 other princely states, the princely state of Amethi integrated into the country. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, extended an offer to the then princely state king, Rananjay Singh, to join the government as a minister, although Singh declined.
Nevertheless, he remained actively involved in Amethi's politics, fostering strong ties with the Nehru-Gandhi family over time.
Amethi's journey as a significant political constituency began in 1967 when it was established as a Lok Sabha seat. The inaugural elections saw Vidyadhar Bajpai from the Congress clinching victory, a feat he repeated in the subsequent 1971 elections. However, the political landscape witnessed a seismic shift post-Emergency, with the Congress seeking a secure seat to launch Sanjay Gandhi into the political arena.
In 1977, amidst controversy surrounding his involvement in forced sterilization campaigns during the Emergency, Sanjay Gandhi contested the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi for the first time. Despite local opposition stemming from his controversial actions, he faced defeat at the hands of Ravindra Pratap Singh of the Janata Party.
Undeterred, Sanjay Gandhi returned to Amethi in the subsequent by-election held in 1980, determined to turn the tide. His resounding victory, with a margin of approximately 1 lakh 87 thousand votes over Ravindra Pratap Singh, marked the inception of a enduring connection between the Gandhi family and Amethi. Nonetheless, Sanjay Gandhi's tenure in Amethi was regrettably short-lived.
Tragedy struck the Gandhi family on June 23, 1980, with the untimely demise of Sanjay Gandhi in a plane crash. At the time, his elder brother Rajiv Gandhi was in London. Upon receiving the devastating news, Rajiv promptly returned to India and, within a week, made the decision to embark on a political journey.
Indira Gandhi, recognizing the need to fill the void left by Sanjay's passing, nominated Rajiv Gandhi as the Congress candidate for the Amethi constituency.
On May 4, 1981, during a crucial All India Congress Committee meeting, Indira Gandhi put forth Rajiv's candidacy for Amethi. With unanimous consent from all the leaders present, Rajiv Gandhi was officially endorsed as the Congress candidate.
Subsequently, Rajiv contested the by-election from Amethi and secured a resounding victory, triumphing over his rival Lok Dal chief, Sharad Yadav, by a staggering margin of 2.5 lakh votes. Thus, the legacy of the Gandhi family in Amethi continued, with Rajiv Gandhi carrying forward the mantle of leadership.
Following Sanjay Gandhi's tragic demise, the Amethi seat lay vacant, prompting his wife, Maneka Gandhi, to express her desire to contest elections for the constituency.
However, being under the age of 25, Maneka did not meet the eligibility criteria to stand for elections as per the prevailing rules. Faced with this obstacle, Maneka sought Indira Gandhi's support in amending the Constitution to lower the minimum age requirement for contesting elections.
However, Indira Gandhi firmly declined this request.
Feeling sidelined and aggrieved, Maneka perceived Rajiv Gandhi's candidacy for the Amethi by-election as encroaching upon her late husband's political legacy.
In an attempt to thwart Rajiv's bid for the seat, Maneka actively campaigned against him.
This incident, documented by political analyst Rashid Kidwai in his book '24 Akbar Road: A Short History of the People Behind the Fall and Rise of the Congress', underscores the complexities and tensions within the Gandhi family's political sphere.
Rajiv Gandhi's tenure as Member of Parliament for Amethi ushered in a period of significant development. Winning elections in 1989 and 1991, he spearheaded various transformative projects and institutions in the region. Notable achievements include the establishment of the Jagdishpur Industrial Estate, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Avionics Division of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at Korwa, and the Indira Gandhi National Aviation Academy. Rajiv Gandhi also focused on improving road connectivity, revitalizing barren lands for farming, and fostering agricultural growth. Sadly, his promising leadership was cut short by his assassination by the LTTE on May 21, 1991.
After the tragic assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi declined to enter electoral politics. In the subsequent by-election held in 1991, the Congress party nominated non-Gandhi candidate Santosh Sharma, who emerged victorious.
He retained the seat in 1996 but faced defeat in 1998 to BJP's Sanjay Singh. Congress's absence from power at both the central and Uttar Pradesh levels since 1988 led to a halt in projects in Amethi, resulting in a decline in industries and developmental activities during the tenures of Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi.
However, Sonia Gandhi joined the Congress in 1997 and assumed the party presidency in 1998. In 1999, Sonia contested elections for the first time from Amethi and secured victory with a substantial margin of 4.18 lakh votes.
After clinching victory in the 1999 elections, Sonia Gandhi opted not to contest from Amethi again, paving the way for her son Rahul Gandhi's entry into politics. This strategic move aimed to solidify the Gandhi family's political presence in the constituency. Consequently, the Congress party saw a resurgence at the national level with the formation of the UPA alliance in 2004.
Rahul Gandhi, then serving as the Congress Vice President, contested elections from Amethi for the first time in 2004, securing victory with a substantial margin of 2,90,853 votes in a closely contested race against BJP and BSP candidates. He continued his winning streak in the subsequent two elections, triumphing by significant margins. In 2009, Rahul Gandhi secured victory with a margin of 3 lakh votes, and in 2014, despite facing a tough challenge from BJP's Smriti Irani, he emerged victorious with a reduced margin of 1.07 lakh votes.
During a decade of Rahul Gandhi's tenure, the UPA government held power at the Centre, while the Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress ally Samajwadi Party governed Uttar Pradesh. Despite announcing several development projects for Amethi during this period, delays in approval hindered their implementation, preventing their timely completion.
The nomination of Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli has ignited fervent political discussions, underscoring the enduring significance of this constituency. The roots of the Gandhi family's association with Rae Bareli run deep, with Rahul's grandfather, Firoz Gandhi, marking its inception by clinching victory in the first two Lok Sabha elections post-independence. This foundation was further fortified by his wife and former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, who secured resounding victories in Rae Bareli in 1967, 1971, and 1980. Subsequently, friends and relatives of the Gandhi family continued to maintain a strong presence in this seat.
In 1980, Indira Gandhi chose to contest elections from both Rae Bareli and Medak in Telangana, ultimately deciding to retain the latter. This paved the way for Arun Nehru, a trusted confidant of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, to secure victory in the by-elections of 1980 and 1984. Another notable figure in the Gandhi family's political sphere, Sheela Kaul, also emerged victorious in elections from Rae Bareli.
Following the passing of Firoze Gandhi, the reins of the constituency briefly passed to RP Singh of the Congress in the 1960 by-election, followed by Baij Nath Kuril, another Congress leader, in 1962.
Indira Gandhi's aunt, Sheila Kaul, held the seat in both 1989 and 1991, further solidifying the family's influence in the region. In 1999, another close aide of the Gandhi family, Satish Sharma, assumed representation of the Rae Bareli constituency until Sonia Gandhi's resignation.
However, it's worth noting that the Gandhi family's dominance in Rae Bareli hasn't always been absolute. There was a period when the Congress did not hold sway over this seat.
This era began after the tumultuous events of the Emergency in 1977 when Raj Narayan of the Janata Party emerged victorious, defeating Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The trend persisted in subsequent elections, with Ashok Singh of the BJP claiming victory in both 1996 and 1998, marking a departure from the Gandhi family's traditional stronghold in the constituency.
In a notable political maneuver, Rahul Gandhi, representing the third generation of the Gandhi family, has shifted his electoral base from Amethi to Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency.
Here, he faces contenders from BJP, represented by Dinesh Pratap Singh, and BSP, represented by Thakur Prasad Yadav. Spearheading Rahul's election campaign is Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, who embarked on public relations, rallies and meetings in Rae Bareli from May 8 onwards. The significance of Rae Bareli extends beyond the borders of Uttar Pradesh, given Rahul Gandhi's presence in the electoral fray.
Rae Bareli stands as an enduring stronghold of the Gandhi family, having been represented by MPs ranging from Firoz Gandhi to Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi. While the electoral battle may primarily pit Rahul Gandhi against Dinesh Pratap Singh, attention also hones in on the district's political leaders.
For Dinesh Pratap Singh, the primary challenge lies in navigating the repercussions of betraying his own constituents. Conversely, for Congress, the task at hand involves securing the trust and support of ally SP's leaders, underscoring the intricate dynamics shaping the electoral landscape in Rae Bareli.
The decision to field Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi reflects a strategic move by the Congress party, grounded in the assessment that Rae Bareli offers a more secure electoral bastion for Rahul. This strategic pivot follows Rahul's loss in Amethi to BJP candidate Smriti Irani by a narrow margin of about 50 thousand votes in the 2019 elections. Amid criticism directed at the Congress for conceding Amethi to Smriti Irani, party sources emphasized that Rae Bareli holds greater historical, emotional, and electoral significance for the Gandhi family compared to Amethi.
In a poignant farewell message to the people of Rae Bareli, Sonia Gandhi articulated her decision not to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, citing health concerns and advancing age. Expressing gratitude for the unwavering support of the constituency, Sonia Gandhi assured voters that the seat, which has been a steadfast stronghold for her and the Gandhi family, will continue to extend its support to the family in the future. Her message underscored a deep sense of gratitude and commitment to the constituents, even as she transitions from direct electoral service to a new chapter of public service. Sonia's decision coincided with her nomination filing for the Rajya Sabha seat from Rajasthan, signaling a shift in her political role while affirming her enduring connection to Rae Bareli and its people.
- Translated into English by Geetha Sunil Pillai
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