 "Sonia Gandhi files nomination from Rae Bareli")
After performing a 'havan', Congress President Sonia Gandhi today filed her nomination papers from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in yet another bid to reach Parliament from the family bastion in central Uttar Pradesh.
Accompanied by her son Rahul, Gandhi, 67, who had won the seat three times earlier, including in a by-election, presented three sets of nomination before district election officer Aditi Singh.
Old family loyalist Satish Sharma and her representative K L Sharma were with her when she filed the papers in which the proposers were Uma Shankar Mishra (district president of Congress), Ashok Kumar Singh (former MLA) and Rajaram Tyagi (former MLA).
Before she went into the district collectorate to file the nomination, a 'havan' was performed at the local Congress office in which Sonia and Rahul participated.
While SP has decided not to field anyone against her and Rahul, BJP has fielded Supreme Court lawyer Ajay Aggarwal. The AAP is yet to announce a candidate.
ALSO READ: Sonia attacks BJP for 'talking big'
"The people of Rae Bareli have adopted me with immense affection and I hope they will make me victorious again in the election," she told reporters in a brief interaction after filing her nomination.
After done with the formalities of getting into the election fray, Gandhi called on some Muslim clerics which she said had been a tradition from the days of Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi.
"We are not in the game or business of polarisation," she told reporters who asked her about her meeting with Jama Masjid Imam Syed Ali Bukhari at her residence in Delhi yesterday during which she had said secular votes should not split in the coming election.
Gandhi, who arrived in the morning from Delhi, was given a rapturous welcome from the Fursatganj airport to the district collectorate office to which she was driven by Rahul in an SUV.
She was welcomed with showering of rose petals all along the route with women, youth and children shouting slogans in her support.
She got down at Ghosiyana Road and other places to meet her electorate which comprised of a large number of women.
The constituency has been a Nehru-Gandhi family bastion since the 1960s. Indira Gandhi won it for the first time in 1967, taking over after the death of her husband Feroz, who was also an MP from here.
Gandhi is a three time MP from Rae Bareli, including once elected in a by-election in 2006, after she resigned over office of profit issue. In 2004 elections she shifted to Rae Bareli from neighbouring Amethi, leaving it to her son Rahul Gandhi.
In 1999, she had won from Amethi and had also defeated BJP's Sushma Swaraj from the Bellary Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
SAVE 25%
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Subscribe
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors
Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share
Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor
Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements
Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
SAVE 25%