Lok Sabha elections: Amethi could witness another intriguing contest if Rahul Gandhi contests against Union Minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani once again. In the 2019 general elections, Irani defeated Rahul in his stronghold by 55,120 votes.
Rahul Gandhi will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Amethi, a constituency he has previously represented multiple times since 2002, said an Uttar Pradesh Congress leader on Wednesday.
Congress District President Pradeep Singhal, who recently returned from a meeting in Delhi, confirmed that Rahul Gandhi would be the party’s candidate from Amethi. He mentioned that Gandhi’s name would be officially announced soon.
Congress bastion- Amethi
Amethi has been a stronghold for the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh since its formation in 1967. Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, contested for the first time from Amethi in 1977 but faced defeat due to nationwide backlash against the Emergency.
He later won the seat in 1980 but tragically passed away in a plane crash in 1981. Following his demise, his elder brother Rajiv Gandhi entered politics and was fielded from Amethi in 1981. He was re-elected in 1984, 1989, and 1991 until his assassination.
In the late 1990s, Sonia Gandhi, Rajiv’s widow, contested from Amethi in 1999. However, in 2004, she shifted her constituency to Raebareli, a seat previously represented by her in-laws Feroze Gandhi and later by Indira Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi took over the family’s political stronghold in Amethi in 2004 and was re-elected in 2009 and 2014. Gandhi has represented Amethi in Parliament from 2002 till 2019. However, he faced defeat to Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani by a margin of around 55,000 votes in the 2019 elections. He is now an MP from Kerala’s Wayanad.
Rahul Gandhi vs Smriti Irani
Amethi may brace for another interesting contest if Rahul Gandhi is fielded up against Union Minister and BJP MP Smriti Irani from Amethi once again. In the 2019 general elections, Irani had defeated Rahul in his bastion by 55,120 votes. Though, Rahul Gandhi made entry into the Lok Sabha as he won the Wayanad constituency in the polls.
Irani had lost to Rahul in the 2014 polls, however, she cultivated her popularity on the ground in the next five years, giving a jolt to the Congress with her historic win.
The Lok Sabha constituency is up for yet another fight, given both the leaders are up against each other once again. The general elections are due April-May this year.
(With inputs from IndiaTV)
