Live : Rae Bareli Assembly Election 2023

Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh is considered to be a Congress stronghold. The seat has remained with the Congress in the last four consecutive general elections, and is represented by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

In the 2014 general election, Sonia Gandhi defeated Ajay Agrawal of the BJP with a margin of 3,52,713 votes. While Sonia Gandhi had received 5,26,434 votes, Ajay Agrawal had got 1,73,721 votes.

In 2009, Sonia Gandhi was elected after receiving 4,81,490 votes. Her closest opponent was BSP's R. S. Kushwaha who received 1,09,325 votes.

In the 1971 general election, Rae Bareli seat was won by Indira Gandhi who defeated her opponent Raj Narain. Raj Narain contested the election on a ticket from Samyukta Socialist party. It was he who filed an election petition alleging use of government resources for campaigning by Indira Gandhi. In 1975, four years after the election, Allahabad High Court declared Indira Gandhi's election to the Lok Sabha void, leading to the imposition of emergency in 1975.

Raj Narain then went on to win the general election held in 1977. This time he contested on a ticket from BLD. In 1980, Indira Gandhi returned to power. She contested from Rae Bareli on a Congress (Indira) ticket.

In 1984, Congress's Arun Kumar Nehru was elected from Rae Bareli. Then in 1989, and 1991, Sheila Kaul won the Rae Bareli seat for Congress.

In 1996, the seat went to BJP candidate Ashok Singh, who was elected again in the 1998 general elections. In 1999, the seat went back to the Congress, whose candidate, Captain Satish Sharma, was elected to parliament.

In 2004, Sonia Gandhi contested from Rae Bareli and was elected to the lower house of parliament.

The 2019 general election in Rae Bareli constituency was held in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls, with Sonia Gandhi representing Congress. BJP has fielded Dinesh Pratap Singh as their candidate.

There are five assembly segments under the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency. These include Bachhrawan, Harchandpur, Rae Bareli, Sareni, and Unchahar.