Robert Vadra on Thursday expressed his interest in contesting from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, a stronghold of the Gandhi family. He said the people of Amethi expect him to represent their constituency if he decides to become a member of Parliament. "For years, the Gandhi family worked hard in Rae Bareli, Amethi, and Sultanpur," he said.
Vadra, the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, targeted BJP's Smriti Irani, who snatched the seat from Rahul Gandhi in 2019. "The people of Amethi are really troubled by the current Member of Parliament, they think they have made a mistake by electing her (Irani)."
In 2019, BJP's Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, a seat that he held since 2004. Gandhi became a member of Parliament from Kerala's Wayanad.
So far, the Congress has not announced candidates for Amethi and Raebareli. The Congress supporters have been demanding the party to field Priyanka Gandhi from Amethi.
On Wednesday, BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad charged Rahul Gandhi with having "run away from Amethi". Prasad also alleged that Gandhi has shifted base to Wayanad "because of heavy concentration of Muslims and Christians" in the Kerala constituency, but claimed, "he is in for a tough fight there too".
"Why has Rahul Gandhi run away from Amethi? He has won from there. Earlier, the seat had been represented by his father and late uncle Sanjay Gandhi. He should have had the courage to enter the fight," said the BJP leader.
While the BJP has announced that Irani will be seeking re-election from Amethi, the Congress is yet to declare its candidate for the seat. "You know why Rahul Gandhi chose Wayanad? It is because there is a heavy concentration of Muslims and Christians..... but there are surveys that suggest he is in for a tough fight this time".