India’s Rahul Gandhi taunted by Modi for not contesting seat lost in 2019 – ‘he’s scared’

A surprise decision by Congress Party ex-president Rahul Gandhi to contest in a key constituency in India’s Uttar Pradesh state for the first time has prompted speculation on whether it is a masterstroke by him or a sign of low confidence in the party’s prospects in the country’s ongoing elections.

Cheered on by Congress supporters, the de facto opposition leader on Friday filed his nomination papers to seek a second parliamentary seat in Rae Bareli instead of the nearby constituency of Amethi, where he lost to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Smriti Irani in the 2019 elections.

In the previous elections, Congress won 52 seats, compared with the BJP’s 303 seats in the 543-member parliament’s lower house.

Besides Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi is seeking to retain his seat in the Wayanad constituency in the southern state of Kerala.

If the politician wins from both constituencies, he will have to resign from one of the seats where elections would be held again under Indian laws.

Hours before Rahul Gandhi’s announcement, Indian television channels were abuzz with speculation that he would file his papers to run in Amethi and his younger sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would contest in Rae Bareli.

Amethi and Rae Bareli have traditionally been Congress’ strongholds in Uttar Pradesh. Polling is under way over seven phases in the northern state, a crucial battleground for any party as it accounts for 80 seats – the highest among Indian states.

Congress has chosen to field Kishori Lal Sharma – a Gandhi family loyalist – as a candidate for Amethi. Priyanka Gandhi has yet to indicate if she will contest in the elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has attacked the decision by Rahul Gandhi, saying he was “scared to fight in Amethi