New Delhi: Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, bowing out of Lok Sabha, has been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan. In a surprise move, the 77-year-old had filed her nomination from Jaipur -- the seat held by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh -- earlier this month.
Mrs Gandhi has been representing Raebareli in the Lok Sabha since 2006. She had won the seat even in 2019, when the Congress performance was at its all-time low and Rahul Gandhi lost the other family turf of Uttar Pradesh -- Amethi -- to the BJP's Smriti Irani.
Mrs Gandhi's shift -- while seen as marking a generational shift in the Congress -- was greeted by the BJP as a virtual admission of defeat in the coming Lok Sabha election.
"After Congress's crushing defeat in Amethi, Rae Bareli was next. Sonia Gandhi's decision to opt for Rajya Sabha, is an admission of a looming defeat. The Gandhis have now deserted every supposed stronghold of their's. The Congress will draw a blank in UP, despite 11 seats offered by the SP," the BJP's Amit Malviya had posted on X, formerly Twitter.