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- By Parinda News Bureau, April 17, 2006, 11:06 IST
Rae Bareli: AICC President Sonia Gandhi will file her nomination for the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha bypoll today in the presence of MP son Rahul, daughter Priyanka and son-in-law Robert Vadra.
Gandhi will reach Rae Bareli collectorate by road from the state capital around noon. She is likely to file papers around 12.30 pm.
With BJP still uncertain and Samajwadi Party (SP) and Apna Dal fielding unknown faces against her, political observers foresee the bypoll as a cakewalk for Gandhi. The by-election to be held on 8th May was necessitated after Gandhi resigned from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in March following the office of profit controversy.
She had also stepped down as the chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC).
On 28th March, Gandhi announced during a public meeting in Rae Bareli her decision to seek re-election ''to silence her critics for whom she was enemy number one.''
By fielding greenhorns as candidates against her, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Apna Dal, which has agreed to field expelled BJP leader Uma Bharti's candidate on its ticket, have assured that Gandhi wins without much opposition.
BSP president and former UP chief minister Mayawati too has announced against fielding anyone opposite Ms Gandhi. She said Gandhi's presence in Lok Sabha was necessary to check the BJP.
Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh too has decided not to field any candidate. He may not even support the SP candidate against the congress president.
All eyes are now set on the BJP which is yet to announce its candidate. Sushma Swaraj, Samriti Irani and several others have declined to contest opposite Mrs Gandhi. It is to be seen whether the BJP too follows in the footsteps of the SP or fields a comparatively stronger candidate against Gandhi.
Congress election managers are now focussing on Gandhi's ''sacrifice.''
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