Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi will contest the 2014 Lok Sabha (LS) elections from Amethi, claimed newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai.
Rahul first fought from this high-profile constituency– once considered the bastion of the Gandhis– in 2004 and won the next two LS elections from the same seat.
In 2019, BJP’s Smriti Irani defeated him, making it only the second time in Indian electoral history for the Gandhi-Nehru family to lose the seat.
Earlier, just after the Emergency, Sanjay Gandhi had lost to Janata Party candidate Ravindra Pratap Singh.
Ajay Rai said, “Rahul Gandhi will definitely contest the Lok Sabha election from Amethi, the people of Amethi are here.”
On Smriti Irani, Rai said she appears frustrated.
“She said she will get sugar at ₹13 per kg, did she manage it? People from Amethi are here, ask them,” Rai said.
Though the BJP has strengthened its position in the region, Rahul too has visited Amethi three times since 2019. During the Covid-19 pandemic he provided relief materials to the region. Now with chances of his fresh engagement with Amethi, party leaders and workers are upbeat.
His renewed attention towards Amethis has resonated with local party workers, as indicated by the recent statements from the state party chief.
But Rahul and Congress’ fortunes also hinge upon the performance and strategy of the Samajwadi Party, which too have quite a strong following in the region. Whether it will be a three-way contest in the 2024 polls and if so, how will the three affect the vote share of each other, only time wil tell, but the winner has to be one and we have to wait for it with bated breath.
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