 "'My heart is with you': Sonia Gandhi's letter to people of Rae Bareli")
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Thursday, in an emotional message, informed the voters of her Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh that she will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections due to health and age issues and that her heart will always be with the people of Rae Bareli. Sonia Gandhi has represented Rae Bareli constituency since 2004.
"I am proud to say that whatever I am today, I am because of you and I have always done my best to honour your trust. Now on account of health and age issues, I will not contest the next Lok Sabha election," she said in the message.
The 77-year-old Congress leader also threw subtle hints of a possible entry of a member of her family from the Rae Bareli segment.
"After this decision, I will not have the opportunity to serve you directly, but my heart and soul will always remain with you. I know that you will stand by me and my family in the future, just as you have in the past," Sonia Gandhi wrote.
Speculation is rife that Sonia Gandhi's daughter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, could contest for the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency this time.
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BJP questions Congress's UP association
Taking a dig at the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala questioned the Congress's formal "association" with Uttar Pradesh in future and said that the Congress was scared of losing Rae Bareli.
"One thing is clear with this nomination that the Gandhi family will no longer formally have any association with Uttar Pradesh...Uttar Pradesh nurtured the family politically. First, they lost Amethi, and now they have come to know that perhaps they are going to lose the seat in Rae Bareli also."
It is to be noted that Amethi and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh used to be strong grounds for the Congress. However, party leader Rahul Gandhi lost his Lok Sabha constituency to BJP's Smriti Irani in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.