No question of me contesting Rae Bareli: Priyanka

Scotching speculation of her plunge into electoral politics, Priyanka Vadra on Saturday said her mother Sonia Gandhi would contest the next parliamentary election from the Rae Bareli seat.

"There is no question of me contesting from Rae Bareli, my mother will  be contesting (from there," Priyanka was quoted as saying by news channels.

Speculation  was rife about Priyanka, Congress president Rahul Gandhi's younger sister, contesting the Lok Sabha polls from Rae Bareli after the transition of power in the party.

71-year-old Sonia's retirement had triggered  a buzz  about her imminent withdrawal from active politics.

The Congress stepped in to scotch these rumours by asserting that Sonia had only retired from the post of party president and not from politics.

Priyanka's involvement in politics has been limited to looking after the constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi, represented by Sonia and Rahul, respectively.

Priyanka  and husband Robert Vadra were seated in the audience at the AICC headquarters here, as Rahul was handed over the certificate of his election as Congress president.

In the past, there have been demands from Congress workers for an active role for Priyanka in party affairs.

The party has adopted a cautious approach to this, saying it was up to Priyanka and the first family of the Congress to take a call on her role in politics.

Earlier this year, Priyanka had been involved in chalking out  a strategy for the Uttar Pradesh elections. Even then, she merely  stayed in the background and rarely stepped into the limelight.