Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 4: Rahul Gandhi, contesting from two constituencies, has emerged victorious by significant margins in both Rae Bareli and Wayanad, marking his return as an MP from the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh.
According to the Election Commission of India (ECI) website, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi clinched victories in Kerala’s Wayanad and Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli constituencies with remarkable leads in votes.
In Wayanad, Gandhi surpassed Communist Party of India's (CPI) Annie Raja by an impressive margin of 3,64,422 votes, while Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Kerala State President K Surendran trailed behind with 1,41,045 votes, securing the third position.
In the traditional Congress stronghold of Rae Bareli, Gandhi outstripped BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh by a substantial margin of 3,89,341 votes. Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Thakur Prasad Yadav trailed far behind with a mere 21,588 votes.
This isn’t Rahul Gandhi’s first time contesting from two Lok Sabha seats. In 2019, he faced a tough battle in Amethi, ultimately losing to Union Minister and senior BJP leader Smriti Irani. However, he secured a resounding victory in Wayanad.
Since 2014, the former Congress president has actively led his party’s campaign to enhance its electoral performance, especially after facing setbacks in both general elections and state elections across India.
During the vote count, initial results indicated a close contest between Gandhi and BJP candidates Dinesh Pratap Singh in Uttar Pradesh and K Surendran in Kerala.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul secured a remarkable 64.67% vote share from Wayanad, defeating CPI candidate PP Suneer, who managed 25.14%. This victory margin of 39.53% remains unmatched by any winning candidate in the constituency thus far.
In the same year, Gandhi lost from Amethi, a constituency he had represented in the lower house of Parliament for three consecutive terms from 2004 to 2019. His opponent, Smriti Irani, secured 49.71% of the votes, while he received 43.86%.
In the lead-up to the 2024 elections, Rahul Gandhi chose Rae Bareli, a seat held by his mother Sonia Gandhi for 20 consecutive years from 2004 to 2024. Sonia Gandhi opted out of the Lok Sabha election fray and is now a member of the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP’s candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh reduced Sonia Gandhi’s victory margin to 17.44% from 42.75% in 2014, when she faced the BJP’s Ajay Agrawal.
Rae Bareli went to the polls in the fifth phase on May 20, recording a voter turnout of 58.12%, while Wayanad voted in the second phase on April 26, with a turnout of 72.69%.
The Lok Sabha polls for 543 seats were conducted in seven phases, beginning from April 19. The Bharatiya Janata Party is eyeing a rare third consecutive term at the Centre, with Narendra Modi as prime minister.