With Rahul Gandhi’s decision to shift his electoral battleground to Rae Bareli and the Congress nominating a trusted aide for Amethi Lok Sabha constituency against Union minister Smriti Irani, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s campaign narrative for these constituencies has crystallised.

According to sources in the BJP, the party intends to portray Rahul Gandhi as a ‘bhagoda’ (deserter), citing his alleged fear of losing to Irani in Amethi. They assert that Irani’s record win in Amethi is now inevitable, bolstering her position as the favoured candidate.

Kishori Lal Sharma, a long-time manager for Sonia Gandhi in Rae Bareli, has been deemed an outsider for Amethi by BJP sources, further shaping their narrative.

“The BJP will now ask voters not to vote for Rahul Gandhi in Rae Bareli, warning that he would not return to the constituency after the election as he did in Amethi.

“Woh to bhagoda hai,” would be our tagline, said BJP leader Manish Dixit with a chuckle.

He said: “The delay in decision-making reflects indecision and weakness within the Congress party. It is evident to voters that Rahul Gandhi was reluctant to contest and may abandon Rae Bareli too, given his inclination to retain Wayanad.”

In a bid to turn the tables in Rae Bareli, the BJP pins its hopes on its candidate, Dinesh Pratap Singh, to orchestrate a significant upset. Key MLAs of the constituency, Aditi Singh and Manoj Pandey, are expected to rally behind Singh, amplifying his prospects.

Reflecting on Sonia Gandhi’s diminishing margin of victory in Rae Bareli – from 3.5 lakh votes in 2014 to 1.67 lakh in 2019 – the BJP has strategically positioned Dinesh Pratap Singh for a rematch.

Emulating Irani’s trajectory in Amethi, where she narrowed Rahul Gandhi’s victory margin from 3.5 lakh in 2009 to approximately one lakh in 2019 before ultimately clinching victory by 55,000 votes, the BJP eyes a similar turnaround in Rae Bareli.