Rahul contesting Rae Bareli seat out of fear of defeat: MP CM Yadav

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying the Congress leader who currently represents the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, has now changed the constituency and decided to contest from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli seat out of fear of defeat.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi had contested from Amethi as well as Wayanad seats. While he won from Wayanad, he lost the Amethi seat to Union minister Smriti Irani.

In a press statement, Yadav said, "Rahul Gandhi ran to Kerala last time after losing from Amethi, now he is running to Rae Bareli seeing the possibility of defeat in Wayanad. He will face defeat from Rae Bareli also."

"Rahul was thinking of contesting from Amethi out of fear of defeat from Wayanad, but Irani did excellent work during the past five years and the Congress lost deposits on four out of five assembly seats of Amethi," he said.

Earlier this week, Yadav held a roadshow in Amethi after accompanying local BJP candidate Smriti Irani when she filed her nomination form.

Yadav said the Congress was not able to select the candidates from Amethi and Rae Bareli seats till the last minute as a result of the enthusiastic atmosphere created for a third term for the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Entire Uttar Pradesh is filled with the charisma of PM Modi. The BJP is going to break the past record, he claimed.

The MP chief minister said people will give a befitting reply to the Congress for hampering development and talking lightly about Modi.

The Rae Bareli seat was held by Rahul Gandhi's mother Sonia Gandhi for the last two decades. Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, the Congress said in a statement on Friday.