Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday filed his nomination papers from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency.
He was accompanied by his mother, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
The Congress leader arrived in Sultanpur and held a road show from there to Gauriganj in Amethi before driving to the district magistrate’s office to file his papers, Congress leaders said.
Ms. Sonia Gandhi has filed her papers from Rae Bareli constituency.
Mr. Rahul Gandhi, the incumbent member from Amethi, is locked in a three-cornered contest in Amethi, with the BJP fielding TV’s ‘favourite bahu’ Smriti Irani and the Aam Aadmi Party Kumar Vishwas.
While Mr. Vishwas has been camping in Amethi for the last two months, Ms. Irani has also been in town for the last few days.
Both leaders have accused Mr. Rahul Gandhi of neglecting development in his constituency.
Amethi will vote on May 7.
Rahul's assets
The Congress leader's immovable assets have shown a decline since 2009 but the value of total assets has doubled to Rs.9.4 crore in the last five years.
In the affidavit filed by him along with his nomination papers on Saturday, he has disclosed that the total value of his real estate assets (including the advance of Rs.6.8 crore paid on property) has increased from Rs.4.4 crore in 2009 to Rs.8.2 crore now, an increase of about 86 per cent.
The doubling of the total value of the assets from Rs.4.7 crore to Rs.9.4 crore has been primarily due to appreciation in property prices.
The number of real estate assets owned by Gandhi has declined since 2009 as he as sold the two shops he owned in a mall and exited another agricultural property in Haryana. He continues to own a share in the inherited farm in Sultanpur Village in Delhi.
The proceeds from the sale of the two shops have been used to make part payment on two office spaces.
The affidavit shows that Mr. Rahul Gandhi does not own a car and as an SPG protectee he is required to travel in an SPG vehicle for security reasons.
Compared to many leaders across party lines, Mr. Rahul’s assets are modest and they have shown a modest increase in the last year years, according to sources close to the leader.
