Will Amethi witness high-profile contest again? Smriti dares Rahul to contest from old battleground

19/02/2024

NEW DELHI: Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, which has been witness to two mega Rahul Gandhi vs Smriti Irani electoral contests, on Monday saw the two high-profile leaders crisscross the constituency once again ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. While BJP MP Smriti Irani held a Jan Samwad in her constituency, Rahul Gandhi reached Amethi with his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by around 55,000 votes, claimed that the anger of people of Amethi against the Congress leader is clearly visible. “His remarks against voters of Amethi after winning from Wayanad and the Congress party’s decision to stay away from the Ram Temple inauguration has angered the people of Amethi and this was manifested today when he (Rahul Gandhi) was welcomed by empty streets in Amethi,” Smriti said.

Smriti dared Rahul to contest from Amethi alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Congress, however, has not opened its cards on the possibility of Rahul Gandhi contesting from Amethi again.

When asked about it, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: “CEC will decide on who will contest from Amethi. Rahul Gandhi has been an MP from Amethi thrice. His father Rajiv Gandhi also used to contest from Amethi. It is a very important constituency for the Congress party.”

Amethi was a Congress stronghold till 2019 when Rahul lost to Smriti Irani. The former Congress chief represented Amethi in Lok Sabha for three terms and in 2014 he had defeated Smriti Irani by a margin of 1,07, 903 votes.

However, the Congress fortunes in the state have been downhill for sometime now.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress could win only one seat in the state – Rae Bareli which was represented by Sonia Gandhi till now. However, this time around Sonia will not be contesting the seat as she has opted for Rajya Sabha.

Sonia, who had represented the seat since 2004, informed voters of Rae Bareli that she will not contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls due to health and age issues.

In a letter addressed to the public of Raebareli, the 77-year-old also threw subtle hints of a possible entry of a member of her family from the constituency amid reports that Priyanka Gandhi may be fielded from the lone Congress bastion in the state.

“After this decision, I will not have the opportunity to serve you directly but my heart and soul will always remain with you. I know that you will stand by me and my family in the future, just as you had in the past,” Sonia Gandhi said in the message written in Hindi.

In the last assembly elections in the state, the Congress could win just 2 seats out of 403 with a voteshare of 2.33% despite the fact that the party campaign was led by Priyanka Gandhi. The candidates of grand old party forfeited deposits in 387 assembly seats.

Clearly, the way ahead for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh is challenging. The party will hope that Rahul Gandhi’s yatra will provide some impetus to the party in the politically crucial state.

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