Lok Sabha polls: Mallikarjun Kharge likely to announce Congress' Rae Bareli and Amethi candidates today

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said the party's Central Election Committee (CEC) has given the power to Kharge to take a call in 24 hours.

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who even last time won from Rae Bareli, is now a Rajya Sabha member thus Rae Bareli will have a new candidate from the party this time.

Speculations are rife that Sonia's daughter and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra might be fielded from the high-voltage seat.

In Amethi, where Union Minister Smriti Irani defeated then Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in 2019, a new face from the grand old party may come up if one goes by the development.

Sonia's son-in-law, businessman Robert Vadra, visited Uttar Pradesh, offered prayers at temples and clearly indicated he is ready to make his poll debut if given a chance.

Robert Vadra said, "The entire country wants me to join active politics. I have always been among people of the country. I have campaigned in Amethi since 1999. I helped Sonia-ji to win in 2004 by a huge margin of votes."

"People of Amethi want me. Smriti Irani-ji didn't fulfill her promises," he added.

"Amethi ki janta kare pukar, Robert Vadra ab ki baar," read some posters, which loosely means Amethi wants Rober Vadra here, even in the constituency.

Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 Lok Sabha seats, has been ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2017.

In the last consecutive general elections, the BJP had swept the polls in Uttar Pradesh, the north Indian state.

Rae Bareli and Amethi go to polls on May 20 and the last date for filing nomination is May 3.