"We Want Rahul Gandhi To Keep Rae Bareli Seat": Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai, who lost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi for the third consecutive time, expressed that they want Rahul Gandhi to retain the Rae Bareli seat.

Congress leader Gandhi won the Lok Sabha elections from two seats -- Wayanad in Kerala and Rae Bareli in UP. He was an incumbent in Wayanad, while his mother Sonia Gandhi was an incumbent in Rae Bareli.

However, even after 12 days since the announcement of the election results, Rahul Gandhi has not revealed which seat he will retain and which seat he will abandon for by-polls.

When asked about this, Ajay Rai said, "We people of Uttar Pradesh, Congress party of Uttar Pradesh want him (Rahul Gandhi) to retain Rae Bareli because he has familial and ancestral ties with the place."

Rai further expressed that Congress would be in a strong position in UP in the 2027 Assembly elections and 2029 Parliamentary elections if Rahul Gandhi decided to stay in UP.

Rai's views are in line with other Congress leaders as earlier Kerala Congress president K Sudhakaran had hinted that Gandhi might relinquish the Wayanad seat as they cannot expect him to stay there.

On the future course of action for Congress, Rai said, "All our workers are standing strongly together. We will contest the by-polls as well and in 2027, we will form the government with full strength."