LUCKNOW: Congress leader Pramod Tiwari lauded Rahul Gandhi's decision to retain the Raebareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and called it the "right political decision."

Tiwari also thanked the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi for respecting the mandate of Uttar Pradesh.

"I want to thank the national leadership of Congress and Rahul Gandhi. He (Rahul Gandhi) has taken the right political decision. Apart from this, he has also respected the mandate of Uttar Pradesh which gave 43 out of 80 seats to the INDIA alliance," the senior Congress leader told ANI.

"Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will win from Wayanad by 5 lakh votes," he added.

Meanwhile, Congress workers burst crackers and celebrated in Raebareli as Rahul Gandhi decided to retain the Lok Sabha seat. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge announced Priyanka Gandhi's candidature from Wayanad at a special press conference on Monday.

If Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family will be in Parliament - Sonia Gandhi in Rajya Sabha and Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. Priyanka Gandhi said on Monday that she will contest the bypoll from Wayanad but her decades-old association with Amethi and Raebareli will continue.

"I am very happy to be able to represent Wayanad and I will not let them feel his (Rahul Gandhi's) absence. I will work hard and I will try my best to make everyone happy and be a good representative. I have a very old relationship with Raebareli and Amethi and it cannot be broken. I will also help my brother in Rae Bareli. We will both be present in Rae Bareli and Wayanad," Priyanka Gandhi said at the special press conference.

The bye-election in the seat was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi decided to retain Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli seat, which he won along with Wayanad in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.