Rahul Gandhi in Raebareli: Mother Sonia Gandhi entrusted me with family's 'Karmabhoomi'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on May 3, filed his nomination papers from Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, a seat held by his mother for two decades.

Gandhi said his mother had passed on the responsibility of this family "karmabhoomi" (workplace) to him, giving him the opportunity to serve the people of Raebareli.

His sister Priyanka, mother Sonia and brother-in-law Robert Vadra accompanied him during the nomination filing.

The decision ends speculation about his candidacy in Amethi, where he faced defeat in 2019. Expressing solidarity with both Amethi and Raebareli, Rahul Gandhi, in a social media post, welcomed Kishori Lal Sharma's nomination from Amethi, stressing their familial connection.

This move follows Sonia Gandhi's shift to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year, vacating the Raebareli seat. Rahul Gandhi's opponent in Raebareli will be Dinesh Pratap Singh, who lost to Sonia Gandhi in 2019.

The decision to field Rahul Gandhi and KL Sharma was made by the Congress's Central Election Committee, highlighting the party's strategy to reclaim its traditional strongholds. 

Rahul Gandhi currently represents Kerala's Wayanad seat and has re-contested from there as well.