LS polls 2024: Priyanka hails Kishori Lal Sharma's candidature from Amethi

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday hailed the candidature of Kishori Lal Sharma from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, saying the Gandhi family has had a longstanding association with him.

Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the seat to take on the BJP's Smriti Irani.

Sharma was the key person who looked after the two prestigious constituencies on behalf of the Gandhis.

"Our family has a long-standing relationship with Kishori Lal Sharma ji. He has always been engaged wholeheartedly in serving the people of Amethi and Rae Bareli. His passion for public service is an example in itself," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post on X in Hindi.

"Today, it is a matter of happiness that Shri Kishori Lal ji has been made the candidate from Amethi by the Congress Party. Kishori Lal ji's loyalty and dedication towards his duty will definitely bring him success in this election," the Congress general secretary said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who has been an MP from Amethi thrice, will contest the Lok Sabha election from the Rae Bareli, the constituency held by his mother Sonia Gandhi earlier.

The two seats will go to polls on May 20 in the fifth of the seven-phase general election.

In the run up to the polls, speculations were rife that Priyanka Gandhi may contest from either Amethi or Rae Bareli.

Ending days of suspense, the party early Friday announced the candidates from the two seats.

Deliberations had been going on in the party since Thursday on the names of the contenders for the two seats, which have been traditionally held by the members of the Gandhi-Nehru family.

The BJP had on Thursday announced Dinesh Pratap Singh as its candidate from Rae Bareli. He had lost to Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.