Rahul Gandhi Was Afraid to Contest from Rae Bareli in 2024 Polls, Claims Shivpal Singh Yadav

Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, was afraid to contest from Rae Bareli in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, claimed Samajwadi Party MP Shivpal Singh. He stated that at one point, Rahul was prepared to give up the seat entirely. He revealed that Rahul only entered the fray from that constituency after receiving assurances from their party chief, Akhilesh Yadav. Shivpal made these comments while speaking to a news agency.

"If there had not been an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress would not have won a single seat in UP. At that time, the Congress was in such despair that their leader, Rahul, did not come forward to contest from Rae Bareli. He was even ready to give up that seat. However, our party chief, Akhilesh, encouraged Rahul. He stated that if Rahul did not contest from that seat, the SP would field its own candidate. Following this, Rahul Gandhi contested from Rae Bareli. Otherwise, Rahul would not have contested from that seat," said Shivpal.

Shivpal Singh further asserted that their leader, Akhilesh Yadav, was responsible for Rahul’s victory in Rae Bareli. He noted that as part of the alliance formed with the Congress, the Rae Bareli seat was allocated to them, which led Samajwadi Party voters to support Rahul. He added that the SP won 37 seats in that election, placing them ahead of the Congress.