PTI
Rae Bareli, Apr 23: Reluctant fighters, political novices and unknown candidates appear to have turned the prestigious by-election in Rae Bareli into a possible cakewalk for Congress President Sonia Gandhi in her Lok Sabha pocketborough.
The May 8 by-election could not be an easier fight for the UPA chairperson, who had romped home in the 2004 polls by defeating her nearest SP candidate by about 2.5 lakh votes.
The by-election is being held against the backdrop of Gandhi’s resignation from the Lok Sabha seat and the wake of the office-of-profit row, and Congress has left nothing to chance while projecting her "renunciation" and "sacrifice".
BJP nominee Vinay Katiyar, a known Sonia-baiter, is a reluctant fighter as he had entered the fray only after much persuasion by the party leadership, denials from all quarters notwithstanding.
Katiyar’s energy would be focussed to bag the number two spot in the contest as BJP had finished a poor fourth in the last polls, behind BSP and SP. More so this time, expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti has made matters more difficult for BJP by backing Prabha Singh Lodhi of the Apna Dal.
BSP supremo Mayawati has decided not to field any candidate and her party is supporting the Congress president, showing a possible warming up of ties between the two parties ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled early next year.
The Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, which has been at loggerheads with Congress, had earlier boasted of making it a fight in Rae Bareli.
SP, which has four of five MLAs in the Parliamentary constituency, has, however, thrown a dampener by fielding a political greenhorn, Rajkumar Chaudhary.
SP General Secretary Amar Singh, a known detractor of Gandhi, was absent at the filing of nomination by Chaudhary.
Local SP leaders are upset as they feel that the leadership has given a walkover to Gandhi by fielding an unknown worker, who has never held any post in the district.
Rahul Gandhi, son of the Congress President and MP from adjacent Amethi, is personally looking after campaigning like his sister Priyanka did in the last polls for her mother.
Congress leaders claim that it would be a "historic win" for Gandhi, who would break all records in election history about winning margins.
Rae Bareli has been a traditional Congress stronghold with members of the Nehru-Gandhi family or people close to them being elected 13 times of the total 16 polls.
While Feroze Gandhi represented the seat in 1952 and 1957, Congress nominees Rajendra Pratap Singh and Dinesh Singh won from here in 1960 and 1962.
Late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi won the seat thrice in 1967, 1971 and 1980, while Arun Nehru won in a by-election in 1980. He won again in 1984, while Shiela Kaul emerged victorious in 1989 and 1991.
Congress candidate Satish Sharma won from here in 1999. BJP has won the seat twice in 1996 and 1998, while late Raj Narayan defeated Indira Gandhi in 1977.
Sonia Gandhi shifted to this constituency in the last polls from neighbouring Amethi, which she vacated for Rahul.