Lucknow: Samajwadi Party MP Shiv Pal Singh Patel has triggered a political controversy by claiming that Rahul Gandhi chose Rae Bareli over Amethi in the 2024 Lok Sabha election because he was “too scared” to contest his traditional seat.
In an interview to an English news agency, Patel said Gandhi was ready to give up Amethi and that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav stepped in to persuade him to enter the fray from Rae Bareli.
Patel further alleged that Yadav warned the Congress that if Gandhi did not contest, the Samajwadi Party would field its own candidate from the constituency. He said Gandhi agreed to contest only after this intervention.
Linking the remarks to alliance politics, Patel claimed the Congress would not have won even a single seat in Uttar Pradesh without the SP tie-up, and that Congress won six seats due to SP votes. He also said the Congress should be satisfied with being offered 50 seats for the upcoming Assembly election, as seat-sharing talks intensify in the state.
