Siddaramaiah wishes Rahul Gandhi success in Raebareli contest, says seat nurtured by Sonia Gandhi with dedication

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 3 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah wished success to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as he filed his nomination from Raebareli, saying the seat has been nurtured former party chief Sonia Gandhi with her dedication and her enduring legacy in the constituency has been a beacon of progress and hope.
After a lot of speculation, Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers from Raebareli on Friday. Siddaramaiah said Rahul Gandhi is continuing the noble journey with the decision to contest from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh.
"It's a touching moment as @RahulGandhi prepares to contest from Rae Bareli, a seat Sonia Gandhi has nurtured with her dedication and leadership for many years. Her enduring legacy in the constituency has been a beacon of progress and hope," Siddaramaiah posted on X.
"Wishing Rahul Gandhi immense success as he continues this noble journey, carrying forward the torch of service and commitment passed down by Sonia Gandhi. Together, may they inspire countless hearts across our nation" he added.
Sonia Gandhi, who represented Rae Bareli since 2004, is now a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.
Rae Bareli is considered a traditional stronghold of the Gandhi family. There was anticipation earlier that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest from either Amethi or Raebareli, two seats in Uttar Pradesh which are prestige battles for the party.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders offered prayers after he filed his nomination papers from Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli seat.
Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her husband Robert Vadra were among those who offered prayers during the puja held at the house of late party leader Gaya Prasad Shukla in Raebareli. The house has been associated with the party for decades.
Locals said the puja was held after filing the nomination due to paucity of time earlier.
"It started with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1967. It has become a norm that whenever a member of the Gandhi family files nomination, they first offer prayers here," KC Shukla, grandson of Gyan Prasad Shukla, told ANI.
Rahul Gandhi, who is MP from Wayanad in Kerala and is re-contesting from the seat, lost from Amethi in 2019 Lok Sabha polls to Union Minister Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi had won the seat, also a Gandhi family stronghold, three times in a row till 2019.
Congress has fielded KL Sharma, a loyalist of the Gandhi family, from Amethi against Smriti Irani.
Rahul is pitted against BJP candidate and three-time MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh in Raebareli.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took a dig at the Rahul Gandhi, saying that Sonia Gandhi has tried to launch "Rahulyaan" nearly 20 times and he will lose election from the Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.
"We launched Chandrayaan-3 and it was successful. On the other hand, Sonia Gandhiji has tried to launch Rahulyaan nearly 20 times and has failed every time. Now he has run from Amethi and is contesting from Raebareli. I want to tell you (Rahul Gandhi) the result from here, 'Rahul Baba' will lose to the BJP candidate, Dinesh Pratap Singh with a huge margin in Raebareli," Amit Shah said at an election rally in Belgavi's Hukkeri town.
Voting in Amethi and Raebareli seats will be held on May 20. (ANI)