Sonia Gandhi to contest Rajya Sabha elections, Priyanka to get Rae Bareli: Reports

Sonia Gandhi, former president of the Indian National Congress, is likely to contest the Rajya Sabha election,making way for her daughter Priyanka Gandhi to contest from Rae Bareli, according to multiple media reports. The constituency in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is the traditional stronghold of the Gandhi family. If elected, this will be Sonia Gandhi's first term in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament of India. She has served five terms as a lawmaker in Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament.

For Priyanka Gandhi, this will be her first contest in the electoral arena. The Rajya Sabha elections are due on February 27. Candidates would have to fill out nomination forms byFebruary 15.

While NDTV reported that Sonia Gandhi will likely contest the Rajya Sabha election from Rajasthan, Press Trust of Indiareported that Gandhi will contest from Himachal Pradesh.

An official announcement in this matter has not been made as of now.

The Congress has yet to name Rajya Sabha candidates. The party is yet to do so in states like Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

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Congress leaders from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have urged Sonia Gandhi to contest Rajya Sabha elections from their states.

In Madhya Pradesh, the state unit president Jitu Patwari was quoted in media reports as saying that the Madhya Pradesh Congress unit would be happy if Sonia Gandhi contests the election from the state. Patwari also said that if veteran party leader Kamal Nath decides to contest the election, the state unit would support him.

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Meanwhile, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, Tika Ram Jully urged Gandhi to contest Rajya Sabha elections from Rajasthan.

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"We have requested the national president and the high command to nominate Sonia Gandhi to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. If she is elected from here, all the Congress workers from the state will be very happy," he said, as quoted by Mint.

(With inputs from agencies)