Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on February 14 filed her nomination papers from Rajasthan for the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled to be held on February 27.
After serving five terms in the Lok Sabha, this will be the first time the 77-year-old leader will sit in the Upper House. While filing her papers in Jaipur, she was joined by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi and All India Congress Commitee (AICC) general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Sources said Gandhi, due to health reasons, has refrained from contesting the Lok Sabha elections as she was unable to visit her constituency Rae Bareli frequently.
She was first elected to the Lower House in 1999 after assuming the Congress presidency and declared in 2019 that it would be her last Lok Sabha election.
Earlier, there were speculations that Gandhi will be nominated from Himachal Pradesh where Congress came to power in 2022. However, party has nominated Abhishek Manu Singhvi from the hill state.
She has also become the second member of the Gandhi family to enter the Rajya Sabha after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was a member of the Upper House from August 1964 to February 1967.
In terms of numbers, Congress is comfortably placed to win one of the three Rajya Sabha seats from Rajasthan for which elections will be held. The seat will fall vacant after former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh completes his six-year tenure in April.
Sources have also indicated that the high command has decided to field Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency, which is considered their stronghold.
Welcoming her decision, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said, “Sonia Gandhi has always been concerned about Rajasthan and has travelled across the state over the years to address the grievances of the people, whether Congress was in power or not.”
(With inputs from PTI)
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