Rajya Sabha polls: Sonia Gandhi files nomination from Rajasthan

After representing the Rae Bareli constituency in the Lok Sabha for 20 years, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has filed her nomination for the Rajya Sabha polls, with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra by her side.

Sonia Gandhi became an MP for the first time in 1999 from Amethi, a seat once represented by her late husband Rajiv Gandhi.

She shifted to Rae Bareli in 2004, leaving the Amethi seat for Rahul Gandhi. She has won the seat five times since 1999. In 2019, Rae Bareli was the only seat won by the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.

This will be the first time that Sonia will not contest in the Lok Sabha election since entering politics nearly two and a half decades ago.

According to a list released by the Congress for the upcoming polls, Sonia Gandhi will contest from Rajasthan, and Abhishek Manu Singhvi will contest from Himachal Pradesh.

"When there was a famine in Rajasthan, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi took all of us to the then Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and held a meeting with him and put pressure on the Central Government to provide help to Rajasthan and the state got additional help. Similarly, it was impossible to set up a refinery in Rajasthan, yet Sonia ji talked to Prime Minister Shri Manmohan Singh and got the refinery approved. Sonia ji has a close relationship with Rajasthan. It is a matter of happiness for us that he chose Rajasthan to go to Rajya Sabha," said former Rajasthan Chief Miinister Ashok Gehlot.

Congress leaders Akhilesh Pradesh Singh and Chandrakant Handore will be nominated from Bihar and Maharashtra, respectively. Sonia Gandhi considered both Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan but decided in favor of the latter. Congress sources said Sonia Gandhi being an RS member from Rajasthan would help the grand old party in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Political watchers say the move indicates that she may retire from electoral politics.

She had announced in 2019 that it would be her last Lok Sabha election. Due to health reasons, Sonia has stayed away from electioneering for the last few years.

Speculations are rife that Priyanka Gandhi could contest from the Congress bastion Rae Bareli in the 2024 elections. However, sources said that Priyanka could also be considered for the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, previously held by Rahul Gandhi.

As many as 56 members of the Rajya Sabha from 15 states are retiring in April, and the election to the seats will be held on 27 February. The last date for filing nominations is 15 February.