Amethi Walkover for Smriti Irani? Why Rahul Gandhi's Absence May Snatch Bastion from Congress

Smriti Irani’s spirited campaign in 2014 and 2019 registered the point that development had eluded Amethi despite it being a VIP constituency. (PTI)

Irani’s whirlwind campaign to touch 400 meetings by May 18 means Congress candidate KL Sharma has a lot of ground to cover

On Thursday, as the Congress camp on the ground waited anxiously for the announcement of who will contest from Amethi and Raebareli, Union minister Smriti Irani was busy holding three Jan Sammelans (public meetings) in Amethi. On Friday, as Congress announced family confidante and lightweight KL Sharma as its Amethi pick, Irani is doing a dozen ‘nukkad sabhas’ in Amethi. By the end of the day, she would have done nearly 200 programmes in Amethi in this particular campaign leg.

“Didi will touch 400 programmes in total by the end of the campaign period on May 18. She would have covered the entire constituency twice in one month,” a BJP leader in Amethi said, explaining the expanse of Irani’s campaign.

Sharma has just two weeks to campaign and is an outsider to Amethi, having concentrated on Raebareli for the last three decades as Sonia Gandhi’s manager. Priyanka Gandhi may lead Sharma’s campaign now but the Congress has a lot of ground to cover, given their virtual absence from Amethi in the last five years since Rahul Gandhi lost from the seat.

BJP is predicting a walkover for Irani from Amethi now. She is seen as a local now in Amethi, having built a house in Gauriganj. Of the five assembly seats in Amethi, three are held by BJP and one SP MLA (from Gauriganj) Rakesh Kumar Singh has come out in favour of Irani. Amethi is now virtually a BJP fortress, and not a Gandhi bastion.

Senior BJP leaders said the decision of the Gandhis to not contest from Amethi shows they do not have the stomach to fight and have abandoned the seat, leaving their voters in the seat disillusioned.

News18, during its travel to Amethi last week, found some voters saying they missed being a ‘VIP Gandhi’ constituency and had predicted a tough fight if Rahul Gandhi chose to take the plunge. Amethi is a seat that has been with the Congress and the Gandhi family since 1967, besides once in 1977 when Janta Party won the seat. Rajiv Gandhi was a 4-time MP from here, Sonia Gandhi represented Amethi once and Rahul Gandhi represented Amethi three times.

Smriti Irani’s spirited campaign in 2014 and 2019 registered the point that development had eluded Amethi despite it being a VIP constituency, and though she lost in 2014, people reposed their faith in her in 2019 with a winning margin of 55,000 votes.

Irani, while speaking to the media, said the Gandhi family had surrendered in the fight in Amethi by not choosing to contest from here.

“Kaun Kehta Hai Aasmaan Mein Surakh Nahi Ho Sakta…” Irani had said after her historic 2019 win. In 2024, with Rahul leaving the Amethi fight and not choosing to try avenging his defeat in 2019, many say Smriti has won the seat even before polling and Gandhis may have well lost Amethi forever.

Check Lok Sabha Election 2024 Phase 3 Schedule, Key Candidates And Constituencies At News18 Website.