Sonia filed nomination for Rae Bareli

NI Wire

Rae Bareli

Mon, 06 Apr 2009: 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi filed her nomination papers Monday from the traditional political bastion of Nehru-Gandhi family, Rae Bareli, in Uttar Pradesh. Sonia will contest for the second time from here after 2004 Lok Sabha elections when she won the seat by a record-breaking margin.

She was accompied by her son and party’s general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who filed his nomination papers from Amethi, another stronghold of Gandhi family, yesterday and former minister and MP Capt Satish Sharma.

According to affidavit filed by her to the district magistrate, Sonia’s assets worth Rs.13.8 million (Rs.1.38 crore). In addition, she had Rs.75,000 in cash and Rs.2.86 million (Rs.28.61 lakh) in bank deposits, mutual funds worth about Rs 2 million and Rs 1.2 million in RBI bonds.

In the post office, she has Rs 1,99,000 and Rs 2.49 million with the Public Provident Fund. Her jewellery worth Rs 1.1 million, besides silver worth Rs 1.8 million

She also owns two plots of agricultural land totalling up to about 15 bighas and valued at Rs.219,000. Their location is not mentioned in the affidavit. This apart she has the Italian house valued at Rs 1.8 million.

Indira Gandhi, Sonia’s mother-in-law, used to contest from here (Rae Bareli), elected for the first time in 1967 and became the first woman prime minister of India.

The constituency will go into the polling in the third phase on April 30. The elections in Uttar Pradesh will be held in five phases: April 16, 23, 30 and May 7 and 13.

Meanwhile, the Congress president yesterday slammed Bharatiya Janata Party on the issue of terrorism, addressing a public rally in Varanasi. She said the people raising slogans against terrorism should introspect what happened during their own regime. Not only terrorist activities occurred in their regime but also the worst part is the people who carried out the Parliament attack were escorted to Kandhar as if they were royal guests.

Appealing voters to vote for Congress as only the Congress can provide a stable and strong government, Sonia Gandhi said, “After the terrorist attack on Mumbai, we put so much pressure that Pakistan had to admit the truth,” stressing the UPA government would never tolerate anything against India.

She also addressed rallies Sunday in Balia and Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress president will be touring Maharashtra from April 10 to address election meetings in the Lok Sabha constituencies of Vidarbha. She will not address a campaign rally in Nagpur instead hold a road show.