"Ground slipped in Wayanad too, so Rahul Gandhi preparing to run away..." says BJP Chief VD Sharma on congress leader contesting from Raebareli

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 3 : Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president VD Sharma on Friday took a potshot at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on being fielded from the Gandhi family's legacy seat, Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli saying the ground has slipped in Wayanad too, so the latter is preparing to run away from there.
Sharma also added that this time Rahul Gandhi's defeat was certain.
"This time the ground has slipped in Wayanad too, so he (Rahul Gandhi) is preparing to run away from there and is looking for a ground in Raebareli. But the ground of Raebareli has already slipped. So wherever he comes from, this time Rahul Gandhi's defeat is certain," the BJP leader said.
The BJP's attack however was rebutted by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh who claimed that the party had carefully considered Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Raebareli.
"Many people have many opinions on the news of Rahul Gandhi contesting elections from Rae Bareli. But he is a seasoned player of politics and chess. He makes his moves after careful consideration. The party leadership has taken this decision after a lot of deliberation and strategy. This decision has devastated the BJP, its supporters and sycophants. The poor self-proclaimed Chanakya who used to talk about 'traditional seats' is not able to understand what to do now?" Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
"Priyanka ji is campaigning vigorously and is alone shutting up Narendra Modi by answering his every lie with the truth. That is why it was necessary that she should not be limited to her constituency only. Priyanka ji will reach the House by contesting any by-election," Ramesh further added.
The Congress party earlier today announced Rahul Gandhi's candidature from Raebareli ending all speculations about All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contesting from this seat.
Rahul is pitted against Congress defector and three-time MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh in Raebareli. A sitting MP from Kerala's Wayanad, he is also seeking a fresh term in the Lower House from the seat that polled in Phase 2 of the general elections on April 26.
Raebareli constituency was held by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi who resigned as the sitting Raebareli MP earlier and was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
Before Sonia, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had won Raebareli thrice. The constituency also elected Indira's husband and Congress leader Feroze Gandhi twice in 1952 and 1957.
The Congress party has also named Kishori Lal Sharma, a party loyalist from Amethi, the seat Rahul Gandhi lost in the 2019 general elections to BJP leader Smriti Irani.
Both constituencies (Raebareli and Amethi) are traditional strongholds of the Gandhi-Nehru family, with its members holding these seats for decades. Rahul's defeat in Amethi, once considered a Congress 'pocket borough' at the hands of Irani in the 2019 polls was seen as a significant blow to the party's national prestige.