Lok Sabha elections 2024: It has been a saga of ‘will he, won’t he’ outside the Congress office as speculations are rife about party leader Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest – or not – from Amethi. From rivals and political pundits to the general voter, all eyes are on Gandhi and his decision on Amethi. Not much has been said by the Congress leader himself – until now.
During a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday, Gandhi was asked if he plans to fight from Amethi. He said that he would abide by the party’s decision on it. Rahul Gandhi is already fighting from Wayanad.
"On Amethi, the party will decide. Whatever order I get, I will abide by that. In our party, these decisions are taken in the CEC (Central Election Committee) meeting,” he said. Both Amethi and Wayanad go to polls on April 26.
Gandhi had represented Amethi for three straight terms. His sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, will fight from Rae Bareli that was previously held by their mother, Sonia Gandhi. Both the seats are considered to be Gandhi family bastions and local units have urged the scions of the family to contest from there.
This comes as political strategist Prashant Kishor said that Gandhi not fighting from Amethi would send a wrong message. "If you do not win in UP, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, there is no benefit if you win from Wayanad. Strategically, I can say that letting that space (Amethi) go will only send a wrong message,” said Kishor.
However, it was BJP’s Smriti Irani who had won from Amethi seat with 49.71 per cent votes in 2019 while Rahul Gandhi got 43.86 per cent votes. He had, in the previous election in 2014, defeated her by securing 46.72 per cent of the total votes, retaining the seat for the third time in 2014 up till 2019.
Irani had recently said that the people of Amethi “carried a useless MP who did no work, and remained missing even after winning” for 15 years. She told the people of Amethi that even when they were supportive of him for 15 years, he has called Wayanad his home. “I have seen people changing colour. This is the first time I have seen Rahul Gandhi changing his family..." she told a gathering.