Amethi seat: ‘Conceded defeat even before a vote was cast,’ says Smriti Irani as Rahul Gandhi picks Rae Bareli

Amethi and Rae Bareli seats: Union Minister and BJP MP from Amethi, Smriti Irani, said that Congress conceded defeat in Amethi even before a vote was cast. Her comments came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announced his candidacy from Rae Bareli, and a close aide of the Gandhi family, KL Sharma was fielded from Amethi. Before the announcement of candidacy, there was much speculation on whether Rahul Gandhi would fight the election from Amethi or Rae Bareli. 

“No member of the Gandhi family contesting from Amethi in itself is an indication that Congress has accepted its defeat from Amethi even before elections. If they believed they had any scope of winning from Amethi, they would not have run away, and they would not have made their proxy stand instead,” said Smriti Irani, referring to KL Sharma.

Rahul Gandhi reached Amethi with his mother Sonia Gandhi, sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and brother-in-law Robert Vadra for nomination filing, along with former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot.

The Rae Bareli seat has been held by Rahul Gandhi’s mother Sonia Gandhi, his grandmother Indira Gandhi and his grandfather Feroze Gandhi before him.

NO GANDHI FOR AMETHI

This would be the first time in 25 years that a Gandhi family member would not be contesting the elections from the Amethi seat. What was once a Congress fortress, was breached in 2019 by Smriti Irani with more than 55,000 votes. The election prior to that, in 2014, Rahul Gandhi had defeated Irani from the same seat by 1 lakh votes. 

The last time a non-Gandhi fought from the Amethi seat was in 1998 when Satish Sharma from Congress lost to BJP’s Sanjaya Sinh. The seat was, however, reclaimed by Sonia Gandhi in 1999 by a resounding 3 lakh votes.

In 2004, Sonia Gandhi made way for Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, and moved to Rae Bareli. Rahul Gandhi retained the Amethi seat for three consecutive terms – 2004, 2009 and 2014 – till Smriti Irani snatched it in 2019.