Why was Priyanka Gandhi not nominated as a candidate in the Lok Sabha elections by Congress?

Hash#ag Bureau Uttar Pradesh 03 May,20234

On Friday morning, Congress unveiled its candidates for the Rae Bareli and Amethi seats in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi has been selected for Rae Bareli, while KL Sharma will contest from Amethi. Both candidates submitted their nomination papers on the same day.

For a considerable duration, there had been speculation regarding Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s participation in the Lok Sabha elections. It was rumored that she might contest from Rae Bareli, but Congress has refrained from nominating her. Consequently, questions arise as to why Priyanka Gandhi is not entering the electoral fray.

Regarding the decision not to nominate her, political analysts posit that Congress has refrained from making Priyanka Gandhi a candidate due to two primary factors. Firstly, Congress has already faced allegations of nepotism.

Sonia Gandhi is currently a member of the Rajya Sabha, and there is strong anticipation that Rahul Gandhi will soon become a Member of Parliament. Given this scenario, had the party nominated Priyanka and she won a seat in Parliament, it could have intensified BJP’s criticism of Congress on the grounds of nepotism. BJP might have argued that three members from the same family are representing the party in Parliament. To avert such a situation, Congress has opted not to field her as a candidate from any constituency.

The second reason and the biggest reason is that it is believed that Priyanka Gandhi is a strong campaigner for Congress. She is continuously traveling across the country and campaigning for Congress. In such a situation, if the party had fielded him from Rae Bareli, Amethi or any other seat, his activities in the elections could have been limited. The party wants to keep her free from the pressure of winning the elections on his own seat. The party wants that she can campaign on as many seats as possible in the country, hence it is important that she does not contest the elections itself.

In his X post, Jairam Ramesh explains the reason behind Priyanka Gandhi’s absence from the electoral field. He highlights Priyanka’s energetic campaigning, noting her ability to counter Narendra Modi’s falsehoods with the truth. Consequently, it’s deemed essential for her not to confine herself to a single constituency. The post suggests that Priyanka will eventually secure a seat in the House through contesting any forthcoming by-election.