New Delhi: A day after filing her nomination for the Rajya Sabha polls, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi reached out to the people of her Lok Sabha constituency Rae Bareli hinting at her family’s association with them in future while attributing her decision to ill health and advancing age.
Asserting that her family’s ties with Rae Bareli run very deep, Gandhi signed off the one-page letter written in Hindi, saying: “My heart and soul will always be with you. I know that you, too, will take care of me and my family in every difficulty, just as you have been doing till now.”
Her remarks are being interpreted in the Congress circles as an indication of her daughter, Priyanka Vadra, taking a plunge in electoral politics from Rae Bareli.
Sonia Gandhi, who has been a Lok Sabha MP from Rae Bareli since 2004, will be contesting for one of the three seats from Rajasthan in the Rajya Sabha. The polling will take place on 27 February.
She is set to become only the second member from the Nehru-Gandhi family after Indira Gandhi (1964-1967), to be elected to the Upper House of Parliament.
“My family is incomplete in Delhi. It only gets complete after coming to Raebareli and meeting you. This close relationship is very old and I have got it as a good fortune from my in-laws (sic),” Sonia wrote in her letter.
CPP चेयरपर्सन श्रीमती सोनिया गांधी जी का रायबरेली की जनता के नाम संदेश- pic.twitter.com/6zlJkWjwvi
— Congress (@INCIndia) February 15, 2024
She further recalled the members of the Nehru-Gandhi family who were elected from the constituency. In the first Lok Sabha election, her father-in-law Feroze Gandhi won in 1952. Then Indira Gandhi was elected in 1967. “From then till now, this series has continued with love and enthusiasm through the ups and downs and difficult paths of life, and our faith in it has become stronger.”
“After losing my mother-in-law and my life partner (Rajiv Gandhi), I came to you and you embraced me. In the last two elections, you stood by me like a rock even in difficult circumstances, I can never forget this,” the former Congress president wrote.
She explained that due to ill-health and increasing age, she will not contest the next Lok Sabha elections. “After this decision, I will not get the opportunity to serve you directly, but it is certain that my heart and soul will always be with you.”
She ended her letter saying, “Promise to meet again soon.”
In her four parliamentary stints, Gandhi’s vote share remained over 50 percent throughout, including the 70 percent-plus record in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. In 2019, she was the Congress’s sole MP from Uttar Pradesh.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: 17th Lok Sabha report card: Just 2 MPs logged 100% attendance. Sonia, Akhilesh asked 0 questions