Sonia Gandhi, the former Congress president, is poised to enter the Rajya Sabha and will file her nomination papers from Rajasthan for the forthcoming Upper House elections, as per party sources. The nomination submission is slated for today in Jaipur, with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, her son Rahul Gandhi, and daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expected to accompany her. In the meantime, on Thursday, Sonia Gandhi composed an emotional letter, informing 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 concerns. Since 2004, Sonia Gandhi has been the representative of the Rae Bareli constituency. The 77-year-old Congress leader also subtly hinted at the potential entry of a family member from the Rae Bareli segment.
Sonia Gandhi's message to voters comes a day after the former Congress president filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha seat from Rajasthan. "I am proud to say that whatever I am today, I am because of you and I have always done my best to honor your trust. Now, due to health and age issues, I will not contest the next Lok Sabha election," she said in the message in Hindi. "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.
Sonia Gandhi And Rae Bareli.
Sonia, the current representative of the Rae Bareli constituency in the outgoing Lok Sabha, has won the seat five times since 1999. In 2019, Rae Bareli was the only seat won by Congress in Uttar Pradesh. There is widespread speculation that Priyanka Gandhi may contest from the Congress stronghold of Rae Bareli in the 2024 elections.