New Delhi:
Amid reports that UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi may retire from active politics, sources say that she will be contesting the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, senior party leaders have requested her to contest from the upcoming General Elections. Earlier, there were reports her daughter and AICC general secretary for Uttar Pradesh east Priyanka Gandhi Vadra can contest Lok Sabha polls Rae Bareli.
There were speculations of Sonia Gandhi retiring from active politics on health grounds and making the way for daughter. She has been winning from the Rae Bareli constituency since 1999. However, Priyanka recently said that he would not be contesting the elections and would instead focus on the organisation of Congress.
72-year-old Sonia Gandhi had to cut short her much-publicised 'road show' in August 2016 in Varanasi after she fell sick. In May 2018, she had gone abroad for her annual medical checkup, accompanied by son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia were appointed AICC general secretaries for UP east and UP west respectively in January and took charge earlier this month. The Congress leader has held a series of discussions with party workers last week in Lucknow, with at least one session lasting through the night.
The Congress is trying to revive itself in the state where it faces a challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party as well as an alliance of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.
