Ever since she entered active politics in 2019, Priyanka Gandhi has been projected as a potential challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi and as a successor to Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi in the family bastion Rae Bareli. However, the Congress has decided to field her from Wayanad in Kerala, a parliamentary seat won by her elder brother Rahul Gandhi twice in a row. Rahul on Monday decided to vacate Wayanad for her while retaining Rae Bareli, previously represented by her mother Sonia Gandhi. But how will Priyanka Gandhi’s entry into electoral politics affect Indian politics, experts discuss with Rajdeep Sardesai on News Today.

The Congress and other opposition parties on Monday demanded the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw after a train accident in West Bengal that killed at least nine people and injured over 40. In a statement on his official handle on Twitter, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge expressed deep grief over the collision. “The visuals of the accident are painful. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims. In this hour of grief, we express our solidarity and condolences to each of them. We wish the injured a speedy recovery,” he wrote. “Over the last 10 years, the Modi government has indulged in gross mismanagement of the Ministry of Railways. As a responsible opposition, it is our utmost duty to underline how the Modi government has systematically turned the Ministry of Railways into a platform for ‘camera-driven’ self-promotion!”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has decided to quit the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat and retain his family bastion Rae Bareli, which he won in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on Monday. Kharge said his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi will make her electoral debut from the Wayanad seat. Notably, Rahul Gandhi had won both the Lok Sabha seats – Wayanad in Kerala and Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh – by impressive margins in the general elections. What impact will this have on the revival of the Congress? Experts discuss on News Today.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will retain his claim on the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and vacate the Wayanad seat in Kerala, from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest. Speaking to India Today TV, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said that resigning his membership from Wayanad does not mean ending his relationship with Wayanad.