Hours after the Congress ended the suspense on its Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha candidates, the BJP on Friday launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi, claiming his political reign in his family strongholds will end like the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar.

The Congress today announced that Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from his mother Sonia Gandhi’s former constituency, Rae Bareli. Gandhi family loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma will contest from Amethi.

BJP’s Smriti Irani had defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in 2019.

Union minister and BJP leader Giriraj Singh today said Rahul Gandhi would have to leave Rae Bareli as well.

“The Gandhi family never goes back to the seat from where it lost. Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi and he left it. This time if he loses Raebareli too, he will leave that too. Just like Bahadur Shah Zafar was the last emperor of the Mughal Sultanate, Raebareli is the same for the Gandhi family,” he told ANI.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi skips Amethi, to file nomination from Rae Bareli

Rahul Gandhi is currently the MP from Kerala’s Wayanad. He has contested the 2024 general elections from Wayanad as well.

Uttar Pradesh’s deputy chief minister, Brajesh Pathak said that the BJP will win all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh.

“BJP is going to win in Rae Bareli and Amethi with a huge margin. Rahul Gandhi had first left Amethi and went to Wayanad, now he has come to Rae Bareli. The people of Rae Bareli will never accept him. BJP is going to win all 80 seats in the state with a huge majority,” he said.

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said Rahul Gandhi will lose in Wayanad as well.

Also read: Who is Kishori Lal Sharma, Congress party’s candidate in Amethi?

“Rahul Gandhi is losing from Wayanad and this is why is going to contest from Rae Bareli. Earlier, he accepted defeat from Amethi, now he is running away from Wayanad. The situation is such that no one from Congress wants to contest from Amethi, which was Congress’ traditional seat…Rahul Gandhi will also have to leave Rae Bareli, and people will give him a befitting reply, he will be defeated in Rae Bareli too,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi was Amethi’s Lok Sabha for 15 years — between 2004 and 2019.

Sonia Gandhi, who was Rae Bareli’s MP between 2004 and 2024, moved to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year. There was speculation that she had vacated the seat for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Kishori Lal Sharma is one of the closest loyalists of the Gandhi family. He was Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi’s representative in the constituencies.

With inputs from PTI, ANI