After the Congress announced Rahul Gandhi and KL Sharma as candidates from Raebareli and Amethi for the Lok Sabha elections, expelled leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam called Priyanka Gandhi Vadra a "victim of family and party conspiracy," alleging deliberate denial of her candidacy.
Acharya Krishnam stated that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was intentionally sidelined from contesting the elections and labelled her exclusion as a result of a conspiracy plotted by her family and the party.
He further claimed that Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Raebareli, instead of Amethi, indicated a significant conspiracy against Priyanka.
Acharya Krishnam criticised Rahul Gandhi's choice to contest against Congress defector Dinesh Pratap Singh in Raebareli rather than challenging Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly from Varanasi.
Earlier, Rahul Gandhi, who previously held the Amethi seat, was declared as the Congress candidate from Raebareli, succeeding his mother Sonia Gandhi, who recently vacated the position after securing membership of the Rajya Sabha from Jaipur.
Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Raebareli was unexpected, especially after the loss of Amethi to the BJP in the previous elections. Meanwhile, Kishori Lal Sharma, a loyalist of the Gandhi family, will represent Congress in Amethi.
Both Raebareli and Amethi will go to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 7, with Rahul Gandhi seeking re-election from Wayanad as well.