Varun Gandhi turned down BJP's offer to contest Raebareli seat: Sources

BJP MP Varun Gandhi has opted out of a possible poll contest against his cousin Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat, sources told India Today TV on Thursday. The BJP was keen to field Varun Gandhi from Raebareli, which has been a Congress stronghold since 2004, added the sources.

Congress sources on Wednesday suggested that there is a strong possibility that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra could contest from the seat. Her mother and former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi held the Raebareli seat since 2004 before she was elected to the Rajya Sabha in February this year.

Speculations about Congress fielding Priyanka Gandhi from Raebareli heated up after Sonia Gandhi announced she would not contest the 2024 Lok Sabha



polls.

Amid such speculations, the BJP approached Varun Gandhi to contest against his cousin, but he opted out of the Raebareli poll battle, said sources.

Varun Gandhi wants to stay away from the kind of spotlight that a 'Gandhi vs Gandhi' contest would attract, said sources close to the BJP leader.

Varun Gandhi is the sitting MP from Pilibhit. For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP decided to drop him from Pilibhit poll and fielded former minister Jitin Prasada on the seat.

Afterwards, Varun Gandhi wrote an open letter to the people of Pilibhit saying he would continue to be a son of the land. His mother, Maneka Gandhi, a long-time Parliamentarian, was fielded by the BJP again from the Sultanpur seat in Uttar Pradesh.