Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday posted an emotional video conversation with his mother Sonia Gandhi on X recalling his family's connection with Rae Bareli and Amethi Lok Sabha constituencies.
Highlighting Gandhi family's relation with Rae Bareli and Amethi, the Congress leader said, "Both places are not just constituencies for us, they are our karmabhoomi (workplace), every corner of which holds the memories of generations."
"Looking at old photographs with my mother, I also remembered my father and grandmother, whose tradition of service was started by me and my mother. This relationship more than 100 years old, built on the foundation of love and trust, has given us everything. Whenever Amethi and Rae Bareli call us, we will meet them there," the X post read further.
The emotional video post comes days before the fifth phase of voting. The Rae Bareli and Amethi Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls in the fifth phase of the seven-phase election on May 20.
While former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi is contesting against BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh in Rae Bareli, Gandhi family aide Kishori Lal Sharma is taking on BJP's Smriti Irani in Amethi. Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, Sonia Gandhi switched to Rajya Sabha vacating the Rae Bareli seat - a family bastion.
Amethi and Rae Bareli have long been synonymous with the Gandhis but it is the first time in 25 years that a Gandhi family member is not contesting elections from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.
Rahul filed nomination from Rae Bareli
Earlier on May 3, Rahul Gandhi filed his papers from Rae Bareli constituency, barely an hour before nominations closed for the Lok Sabha seat. The Congress ended the suspense over Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies, announcing his candidature from the seat held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades.
Gandhi had lost from the adjoining Amethi constituency to BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019, but won from "safe" Wayanad in Kerala – a seat he is contesting this time as well.
BJP mocks Rahul Gandhi
The BJP mocked him for “running away” from Amethi. "Bhag Rahul bhag (run Rahul, run). In a rally in West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had predicted that the “prince” would look for another seat after polling in Wayanad is over as he feared being defeated there. “Now, he had to run away from Amethi and choose the Rae Bareli seat,” PM Modi said.
(With PTI inputs)
