It was a homecoming of sorts for Sonia Gandhi as she filed her nomination from Rae Bareli. Soniaji replaced Indiraji for the electorate in the Congress bastion that saw the entire Gandhi clan descend for campaign on Tuesday.Sonia filed her nomination at the collectorate in the afternoon, accompanied by son Rahul, daughter Priyanka and son-in-law Robert Vadra. ‘‘The place had been the karmabhoomi of Indiraji and hence it is holy for me. I have an emotional bond with the place as it had remained associated with our family for the past few generations,’’ the Congress chief told a workers’ convention after filing her papers.Thousands from the constituency thronged the venue to hear the Gandhis and for promise for development in a party pocket that has been ignored since Indira Gandhi’s time. ‘‘Sonia ka grah pravesh, dekh raha sara desh,’’ read a placard at the venue. Rae Bareli has seen good times during the reign of Indira Gandhi — industries, roads, water and electricity. Since then, industries have moved out, roads are patched up and the ‘‘official’’ power cut is almost eight hours a day.The Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) which has employed nearly 12,000 people has retired 5,500 recently on VRS while more are likely to be laid off. Jobless employees from the locked out units flocked to meet the Congress chief and asked her to address a gathering outside the factory as her cavalcade cruised to Munshiganj in Sultanpur where the Gandhi family made a halt for the night. Over a dozen industrial units set up in the 70s and 80s have now shut down, leaving hundreds without jobs.‘‘Vajpayee sarkar me berozgari bad rahi hai. Loot aur brashtachar ka bolbala hai. Is sarkar ko hatana hai, Congress ko lana hai aur desh ko bachana hai (Unemployment is on the rise in Vajpayee’s reign and corruption is rampant. The Congress has to be voted in to save the country),’’ she told the gathering amid thunderous applause.‘‘Rae Bareli ne jo khoya tha who pa liya hai (Rae Bareli has got back what it had lost),’’ said Ismail Rana, a local shopkeeper, adding the Congress had come back to the constituency with the promise of development.
