'Had Priyanka fought from Varanasi...': Rahul Gandhi's bold assertion in Rae Bareli

Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi addressed a thanksgiving meeting in Rae Bareli today

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who recently emerged victorious from both Wayanad and Rae Bareli seats in the general election, said that had his sister Priyanka Gandhi contested the Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have lost by two or three lakh votes.

The Congress leader's remarks came while addressing a thanksgiving meeting in Rae Bareli on June 11.

Gandhi stated that the INDIA bloc parties fought the election unitedly in Rae Bareli, Amethi and other parts of the country to reduce the strength of the BJP-led NDA in Parliament.

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, the BJP failed to secure majority on its own unlike the previous two general elections. Even as the NDA bagged 293 seats and formed government at the Centre, the margin of victory was lower when compared to the last two times -- especially since opposition bloc INDIA put up a strong show in the state of Uttar Pradesh. UP sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi further stated that he and other party parliamentarians would not "fall victim to arrogance" over the poll outcome and work for the cause of the masses.

Accusing Modi of ignoring the common people and giving prominence to noted industrialists and other personalities during the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, Gandhi said the masses taught a lesson by ensuring the BJP's defeat in Ayodhya.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi thanked the people of Amethi and Rae Bareli for ensuring the party's victory in these constituencies.

Rahul Gandhi won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala with a margin of over 3.5 lakh votes against CPI's Annie Raja, as per the Election Commission. He got 6,47,445 votes while Annie Raja won 2,83,023 votes.

In Rae Bareli, he won by a margin of over 3.9 lakh votes against BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh, bettering his mother Sonia Gandhi's victory margin in 2019.

As for the Amethi seat, Congress' Kishori Lal Sharma defeated BJP's Smriti Irani by over 1.67 lakh votes.