With just a week left for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress still remains undecided on its candidates for Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli and Amethi — seats traditionally fought by the Nehru-Gandhi family. Both seats will go to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20. Results will be declared on June 4.
Congress, which heads the Opposition coalition – INDIA – has agreed to contest 17 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh (UP) – one of the key states deciding the outcome of the elections. Its alliance partner – Samajwadi Party (SP) - will contest the remaining 63 seats. As of date, SP has released the names of 20 candidates. Congress has released 15 names, leaving the question of Amethi and Rae Bareli for the Gandhi family to decide, withUP unit even passing a resolution to its effect.
Both ex-Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi seem unlikely to contest from either seat, with Ms. Sonia Gandhi already being nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Her son, Rahul Gandhi, has already filed nomination from his Kerala constituency, Wayanad, but has not revealed any plans to contest from his old bastion – Amethi. However Mr. Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra has expressed a wish contest to contest from Amethi while posters demanding Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s candidacy from Rae Bareli have appeared across the constituency. May 3 is the last date for filing nominations to both seats.
Here’s a look at both Gandhi bastions:
Amethi
Created in 1967, the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency cover four State constituencies — Amethi, Tili, Jagdishpur, Gauriganj, and Tiloi. Home to 18.67 lakh citizens, as per the 2011 Census, major towns like Musafirkhana, Amethi, Salon, Tiloi, Gauriganj, Jagdishpur fall under this constituency. Demographically, 25% of Amethi’s population belong to the Scheduled Castes, while a small fragment (0.01%) belongs to the Scheduled Tribes. The total literacy rate is 69.7%. Bordering Amethi are constituencies like Faizabad, Barabanki, Rae Bareli, and Pratapgarh.
Since its inception to 2019, Congress has almost always won in Amethi— barring two instances. In the 1977 elections the Janata Party’s Ravindra Pratap Singh trounced Gandhi scion Sanjay Gandhi, who was facing ire due to actions during the Indira Gandhi-imposed Emergency, and in 1998, BJP’s Satish Sharma defeated incumbent Congress MP Satish Sharma. The Gandhis who have represented Amethi are Sanjay Gandhi (1980), Rajiv Gandhi (1981,1984, 1989, 1991), Ms. Sonia Gandhi (1998) and Mr. Rahul Gandhi (2004, 2009, 2014).
Sanjay Gandhi (1980)
In 1977, when Sanjay Gandhi first contested for the Lok Sabha from Amethi, he faced severe backlash from locals due to his role in imposing forced sterilizations during the Emergency era, and he was soundly defeated by Janata Party’s Ravindra Pratap Singh. However, in 1980, riding on Indira Gandhi’ strong campaign of a stable government, Sanjay Gandhi defeated Mr. Singh, amassing 57.11% (1,86,990 votes) while Mr. Singh won only 17.85% (58,445 votes). With a 50.1% voter turnout, Sanjay Gandhi’s victory marked the start of a long relationship between the Gandhis and Amethi.
Rajiv Gandhi (1981,1984, 1989, 1991)
Following the untimely demise of Sanjay Gandhi in a plane crash on June 23, 1980, his elder brother Rajiv Gandhi took the poll plunge in 1981, contesting for Amethi in the bypoll. Amethi remained faithful to the Gandhis, awarding the Gandhi scion a thumping majority of 2.5 lakh votes compared to his nearest opponent, Lok Dal chief Sharad Yadav, who polled only 21,188 votes.
Rajiv Gandhi won the next election in 1984, defeating Sanjay Gandhi’s widow Maneka Gandhi, who had contested as an independent candidate, by a margin of 3,14,878 votes. He also won the seat in 1989 and 1991 before he was assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on May 21, 1991.
Congress (I) president Rajiv Gandhi campaigns in Amethi on November 6, 1989 | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
During his tenure, Amethi saw a slew of infrastructure projects and institutions being established. Realising his late brother’s plan, Rajiv Gandhi developed the Jagdishpur Industrial Estate in the 1980s, setting up several heavy industries (gas, power, construction, metal & chemicals manufacturing), mining and medium-scale factories (agriculture, real estate, finance, rice mills, transport, storage, and printing). The Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital was set up in 1982, while Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s Avionics Division in Korwa was established in 1983 and the Indira Gandhi National Aviation Academy in 1984. Connectivity to Amethi too improved with the construction of highways connecting Lucknow and Varanasi. Several tracts of infertile and alkaline land were also revived to produce crops.
Sonia Gandhi (1999)
Refusing to take part in active politics after her husband Rajiv Gandhi’s death, Sonia Gandhi first joined the Congress in 1997 and soon became party president in 1998. Taking the poll plunge in 1999, she contested and won from Amethi, amassing 4,18,960 votes. Prior to Ms. Gandhi, Satish Sharma won the constituency in the 1991 bye-election and in 1996, but lost it to BJP’s Sanjaya Sinh in 1998. As Congress was out of power in the Centre and Uttar Pradesh since 1988, projects in Amethi stalled during Ms. Gandhi’s term and the industries established during Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure declined.
Rahul Gandhi (2004, 2009, 2014)
With the surprise defeat of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2004, the Congress formed a coalition government with its allies, termed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Making his poll debut, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi won by a huge margin of 2,90,853 votes, from the Gandhi bastion – Amethi, beating both BJP and BSP challengers. In consecutive elections in 2009 and 2014, he retained the seat, winning by a margin of over 3 lakh votes in 2009. In 2014, weathering a Modi wave, he won by 1,07,903 votes, defeating his BJP challenger Smriti Irani, who was making her poll debut.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi at Sarda Mau village in his parliamentary constituency Amethi on April 16, 2018. | Photo Credit: PTI
During the first 10 years of his tenure, the UPA was in power and either the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) or Congress ally SP were in power in Uttar Pradesh. While several projects were announced in Amethi, many of them got stuck due to delay in clearances. Projects like the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology, Hindustan Paper Mill, a food park in Jagdishpur, and the Samrat Cycle Factory remained stalled. Some successful projects during this time were the Indira Gandhi Eye Hospital & Research Centre set up in 2005, and the local eye camps and self-help groups set up by Mr. Rahul Gandhi in the constituency.
In the run up to the 2014 elections, many projects like the four-lane road between Amethi and Rae Bareli, Amethi-Sultanpur connecting bridge, Amethi Mega Food Park and the Amethi Integrated Textile Park were inaugurated.
BJP makes Amethi its turf
During the first Modi term, Congress accused the BJP of closing down projects in Amethi out of spite. In 2016, Congress listed that a branch of the Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Information in Amethi, a food park project and a Discovery Park had been stalled since 2014, while the Hindustan Paper Mill had been shifted out of Amethi in 2015.
However, ahead of the UP state polls in 2017, Centre announced a slew of projects worth ₹702 crore in Amethi, which included 140 food processing units, cold chains, Indian Institute of Informational Technology (IIIT), Institute of Hotel Management, Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) and a paper mill. It also operationalised the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology and a Group Centre for the CRPF in Amethi. BJP won the State polls with a landslide victory, gaining 312 seats ,while the Congress was reduced to mere seven seats, none of them in Amethi.
BJP president Amit Shah during a roadshow in support of Smriti Irani, the party’s candidate from Amethi in Amethi on May 3, 2019. | Photo Credit: PTI
In 2019, BJP’s Smriti Irani emerged victorious over Mr. Rahul Gandhi, defeating him by a margin of 55,120 votes – ending the clan’s iron hold over Amethi. Previously, BJP’s Sanjaya Sinh had eeked out a slim victory over Congress’ Satish Sharma in 1998 by a margin of 23,270 votes. But no Gandhi had been on the poll ballot then.
Rae Bareli
Created in 1952, when the first elections were held in Independent India, the Rae Bareli Lok constituency covers five State constituencies - Bachhrawan, Harchandpur, Rae Bareli, Sareni, and Unchahar. With a literacy rate of 78.64%, Rae Bareli is home to 29.03 lakh citizens, with 8.88 lakhs belonging to the Scheduled Castes and 16.18 lakhs to the Scheduled Tribes. Bordered by districts like Fathehpur, Unnao, Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi and Pratapgarh, Rae Bareli has three major towns — Lalganj, Bachhrawan and Unchahar.
Since its inception till date, Congress has held this seat, barring three elections. In 1977, Indira Gandhi lost her election to socialist leader Raj Narain and BJP’s Ashok Singh emerged victorious in 1996 and 1999. The Gandhis who have represented Rae Bareli are Feroze Gandhi (1952, 1957), Indira Gandhi (1967, 1971), Arun Nehru (1980, 1984), and Sonia Gandhi (2004, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2019).
Feroze Gandhi (1952, 1957)
The first Gandhi to represent Rae Bareli in the Lok Sabha was Feroze Gandhi – Indira Gandhi’s husband. While Prime Minister Nehru chose Phulpur, a seat in his home district Allahabad, as his constituency in 1952, Congress stalwart Rafi Ahmed Kidwai urged Feroze Gandhi to contest from Rae Bareli, says Swedish author Bertil Falk in his book Feroze: The Forgotten Gandhi. Campaigning along with his wife Indira Gandhi, Feroze Gandhi struck a chord with Rae Bareli voters who were reportedly proud to be represented by such a strong, well-connected leader.
During his tenure, Rae Bareli saw the development of roads, water-canals, milk factories, schools, and educational institutes, Mr. Falk notes in his book. Rae Bareli re-elected Feroze Gandhi in 1957 with 1,62,595 votes. After his demise in 1960, Congress’ R.P Singh and Baijnath Kureel retained the seat in the 1960 bye-election and 1962 general election respectively.
Indira Gandhi (1967, 1971)
Making her poll debut in 1967, Indira Gandhi chose Rae Bareli as her constituency and won, polling 1,43,602 votes. She retained it in 1971, winning 1,83,309 votes. However, her opponent and socialist leader Raj Narain accused her of electoral malpractice and on June 12, 1975, the Allahabad High Court held her guilty of using state machinery for her campaign, declaring the 1971 election as null and void. She was also barred from contesting elections for six years.
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi passing through Halor village during her ‘Pad Yatra’ in Rae Bareli on April 12, 1976. N.D. Tewari, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is seen on her right. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency across India on June 25, 1975, citing threats to national security after the Bangladesh Liberation War. She also called Parliament to session and amended electoral laws, nullifying the Allahabad High Court verdict, and also took away the case from the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction. In December 1975, the apex court disagreed with Parliament’s declaration of the 1971 election as valid, but upheld the changes to the election laws — allowing Indira Gandhi to continue as Prime Minister.
With the lifting of emergency, Indira Gandhi’s popularity plummeted, bringing Congress’ 30-year rule in the Centre to an end in 1977. Indira Gandhi too lost her constituency to Raj Narain by 55,202 votes — her only electoral loss. She was later re-elected to the Lok Sabha from Chikmagalur in the 1978 bye-election.
Arun Nehru (1980, 1984)
After the Janata Party government fell in 1979, Indira Gandhi was re-elected to the Lok Sabha via Rae Bareli and Medak with a thumping majority. As she chose to retain her Medak seat, another member of the Gandhi-Nehru family – Arun Nehru (great-grandson of Nandalal Nehru, Motilal Nehru’s elder brother) was fielded by the Congress. Arun Nehru, a close confidante of Rajiv Gandhi, was re-elected in 1984.
In the 1989 and 1991 general elections, Congress’ Sheila Kaul retained the seat while the BJP’s Ashok Singh won the seat in 1996 and 1998. No Gandhi was on the ballot in both elections. Congress’ Satish Sharma won the seat back in 1999 defeating Arun Kumar Nehru, who had fought on a Janata Dal ticket.
Sonia Gandhi (2004, 2006, 2009, 2014, 2019)
Shifting from Amethi to pave the way for Mr. Rahul Gandhi, Ms. Sonia Gandhi chose to contest from Rae Bareli in 2004. Ms. Sonia Gandhi emerged victorious by a margin of 2,49,765 votes, However, two years later, Ms. Sonia Gandhi resigned as an MP and as the National Advisory Council’s chairperson after being accused of holding an office of profit— i.e., a position in the government which cannot be held by an MLA or MP, and yields salaries, perquisites and other benefits.
In the bypoll that year, she was re-elected by an overwhelming margin of 4,17,888 votes. Since then, Ms. Sonia Gandhi has held the constituency till she recently resigned as its Lok Sabha MP, choosing to being elected to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi accompained by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra and her husband Robert Vadra come out of the DM office after filling her nomination from Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency on April 11, 2019. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
During her tenure, the BSP government (2007-12) was often accused of laxity in implementing the Centre’s schemes and clearing projects. Unhappy with the progress in Rae Bareli projects, Ms. Sonia Gandhi had pulled up Congress MLAs in her constituency and also advised then-CM Mayawati to ensure proper utilisation of Central funds for welfare schemes and projects. On the ground, Rae Bareli voters have complained to her of the non-availability of power, water, fertilizers and seeds.
Ahead of the 2014 elections, Ms. Sonia Gandhi inaugurated several projects — 50 roads constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), a water treatment plant at Saraimugla, a new railway line connecting Raebareli-Maharajganj-Akbarganj and an FM radio station at the Akashwani premises in Rae Bareli.
In 2017, the Narendra Modi government announced several new projects such as the Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University, the conversion of Rae Bareli-Lucknow road into a four- lane roadway, a new FM radio station, the National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) Rajkiya Balika Inter College and Solar Lights project, fourteen branches of the State Bank of India and UCO Bank and several Khadi and Village industries.
Parties mull over candidate selection
The uncertainty over the Gandhis’ candidacy from Amethi and Rae Bareli has been touted by the BJP as a sign of defeat from the Opposition. Ms. Irani, who has already filed her nomination from Amethi, accused Mr. Rahul Gandhi of never thinking about Amethi’s development, even when the Congress was in power at the Centre. She also condemned Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s remark that “Wayanad people were more loyal” countering, “Are the people of the area from where he was MP for 15 years not loyal? Are they traitors?”
Eyeing to convert the last Gandhi bastion — Rae Bareli — into its turf, BJP is still mulling over whom to field against a Congress candidate.
