A day after it was confirmed that Rahul Gandhi would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat has now announced that the former Congress president would also contest in his sitting seat of Wayanad.

Speaking to PTI, Rawat emphasised that Amethi is a ‘natural seat’ for Rahul Gandhi but Wayanad supported him during the time of crisis.

"Amethi is Rahul Gandhi's 'natural seat' but he will also fight from Wayanad because Wayanad supported him during the time of crisis," he said.

Amethi has long been a Nehru family's stronghold and is one of Congress's mainstays in Uttar Pradesh. Prior to being defeated by BJP leader Smriti Irani by a margin of more than 55,000 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul had held the seat as an MP since 2004. 

On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai said that the people of Amethi consider Rahul Gandhi as their family because he fulfilled the promises.

“The people of Amethi consider him (Rahul Gandhi) as their family because he fulfilled the promises. Rahul Gandhi has connected with local people by doing the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and people now believe it is the Gandhi family who understands our problems and concerns. The people want Congress to come into power," he said.  (With Inputs from PTI)