Rahul Gandhi gives crucial UP bypolls a miss

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi does not figure in the list of 35 star campaigners the party released on Friday ahead of crucial bypolls in Uttar Pradesh to be held on September 13.

Ten Assembly seats and the Lok Sabha seat of Mainpuri, vacated by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, go to the polls on September 13. Votes will be counted on September 16.

Among the leaders shortlisted are Salman Khurshid, Raj Babbar and Sachin Pilot. "Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi do not usually take part in campaigning for bypolls," party spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh said.

How has Congress reacted to Rahul Gandhi's failure in Lok Sabha polls?

Since the Congress's worst-ever performace in Lok Sabha polls, Rahul's leadership and style of campaigning have been questioned by members of his party, some of whom even went public with their disillusionment.

Earlier this month, senior Congress leader Jagmeet Brar had said Sonia and Rahul Gandhi should take a two-year break from politics to allow some other person to emerge in the leadership role.

The clamour within Congress to entrust Rahul's sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, with a larger role within the party was also raised after the party was reduced to a humiliating 44 seats in Lok Sabha, a tally that ensured the party didn't get the post of the Leader of the Opposition.

However, senior Congress leaders have been dismissive of such demands. They endorsed a report submitted by senior leader AK Antony which absolved Sonia and Rahul Gandhi as well as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of any responsibility for the Lok Sabha debacle.