Asked about marriage plans during UP rally, Rahul Gandhi says “will have to marry soon”

Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 13 (ANI): When a person in the crowd at a rally in Rae Bareli asked Rahul Gandhi about his marriage plans and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra prodded him to respond, the Congress Rae Bareli candidate said with a smile, “Jaldi hi karni padegi.” (I will have to get married soon.)

Before heading for Rae Bareli, Rahul paid homage to his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and shared an emotional post.

The Congress, on May 3, announced Rahul as a candidate from Raebareli and loyalist KL Sharma from Amethi, keeping Priyanka as well as Vadra out of the electoral contest. Sharma is pitted against Union Minister Smriti Irani, who trounced Rahul in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Amethi seat has been represented by Rahul since 2004, and he remained a member of Parliament from the constituency until 2019. His father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, too, was an elected member of Amethi in the Lower House from 1981 till his death in 1991.

Sonia Gandhi contested and won Amethi in 1999 before passing the baton on to Rahul in 2004. Before Sonia, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had won Raebareli thrice.

The constituency also elected Indira’s husband and Congress leader Feroze Gandhi twice, in 1952 and 1957.

Rahul Gandhi is a sitting MP in Kerala’s Wayanad, where he is seeking a fresh term alongside Rae Bareli. Rahul represented Amethi from 2004 until 2019. He will face Congress defector and three-time MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh of BJP in Rae Bareli.

Rae Bareli constituency goes to the polls on May 20 in the fifth phase. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi won the constituency, bagging 5,34,918 votes. Her closest rival, Dinesh Pratap Singh, put up a formidable challenge, gathering 3,67,740 votes.