She may not be the candidate, but senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is leading from the front when it comes to the party’s campaign in two prestige seats in Uttar Pradesh – Amethi and Raebareli. While her brother Rahul Gandhi is the candidate from Raebareli, Gandhi family loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma is the party’s pick for the Amethi seat.

Ms Gandhi Vadra is scheduled to hold as many as nine nukkad sabhas today to mark the beginning of a whirlwind outreach campaign. The 52-year-old leader reached Raebareli on Monday and held marathon meetings with local Congress leaders in the Bhuemau guesthouse over the past two days.

In a meeting on Monday, Ms Gandhi Vadra is learnt to have told Congress workers that she “will not move from Raebareli till May 18”. Both Raebareli and Amethi vote in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls on May 20.

“We have to fight Amethi and Raebareli strongly. Now, your 24 hours in a day belong to me. I will scold you, make you run, but stand strongly with you. The doors of my home are open for you round the clock. This election is an election to save the Constitution. The BJP wants to take away reservation benefits from you,” Ms Gandhi Vadra told the meeting, according to Congress workers.

Since its first Lok Sabha election in 1952, the Congress has lost Raebareli just thrice — in the post Emergency election in 1977 and in 1996 and 1998 elections. Veteran Congress leader Sonia Gandhi managed to win the seat despite a wave is support of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2014 and 2019 election. Mrs Gandhi has now moved to the Rajya Sabha owing to health issues. This time, the party has chosen to field Rahul Gandhi from its traditional stronghold that has been represented by Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi in the past. He is up against Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Pratap Singh, who lost to Mrs Gandhi in the 2019 election by over 1.67 lakh votes.

In Amethi, the Congress faces a tougher fight. The seat, which has been represented by Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the past, was won by Rahul Gandhi thrice in a row before he was defeated by the BJP’s Smriti Irani in the 2019 election. Ms Irani, a Union minister, is the BJP’s candidate this time and has been campaigning extensively much before the Congress announced its candidate. The BJP leader has said she is confident of a win this time too. “The fact that the Gandhis are not fighting in Amethi shows that even before a vote has been cast, they are losing from Amethi. If they had seen even a glimmer of hope, they would have contested and not put up a proxy candidate,” Ms Irani told reporters after the Congress announced Mr Sharma as its candidate.

The grassroots leader, who has worked in Amethi and Raebareli as an MP’s representative before, has said he wants an opportunity to serve the people of Amethi. “The people of Amethi are in my heart. I have been here for 40 years. I am following the direction of the top leadership. I just want people to give me a chance to serve them,” Mr Sharma has said.

Lucknow:

Several vehicles parked near a Congress office in Amethi’s Gauriganj were vandalised last night, allegedly by BJP workers. The Congress has alleged that the attack was orchestrated by sitting MP and BJP candidate Smriti Irani. It has also accused “BJP goons” of attacking its workers. Police have said they have registered a case and probe is on. The BJP has denied the allegations. 

Late last night, the Congress shared on X a video that showed several cars with their windscreens shattered. “Smriti Irani and BJP workers are badly scared in Amethi. Foreseeing the defeat, BJP goons armed with sticks and rods reached outside the Congress office in Amethi and vandalised vehicles parked there. There has been a deadly attack on Congress workers and the people of Amethi. Many people are badly injured in this attack. During the incident, vehicles of local people were also damaged,” the post read.

The Congress alleged that police remained a mute spectator. “The police administration remained a mute spectator during the entire incident. This incident is proof that BJP is going to lose badly in Amethi,” it said.

BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi told IANS that the Congress is using dirty tricks in the election for Amethi Lok Sabha seat. He said the incident of vandalism was an attempt by the Congress to seek sympathy votes. “We appeal to the Election Commission to take strict action, investigate this thoroughly and make the names of those who vandalised cars public,” he said.

Some videos showed local residents telling police officers about the incident and questioning them how such an incident could take place while the model code of conduct is in force. Amethi votes tomorrow, in the third phase of Lok Sabha polls.

After months of speculation and suspense, the Congress last week announced long-time grassroots worker KL Sharma as its candidate in Amethi, which has been represented by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the past.

The BJP, which named Ms Irani as its candidate weeks back, haas accused Rahul Gandhi of fleeing the high-profile contest after suffering defeat against Ms Irani in the 2019 election. The Union Minister said the Congress’s selection of candidate shows they are losing Amethi. “The fact that the Gandhis are not fighting in Amethi shows that even before a vote has been cast, they are losing from Amethi. If they had seen even a glimmer of hope, they would have contested and not put up a proxy candidate,” she said.

Mr Sharma, who has earlier worked as an MP’s representative in Amethi, told reporters, “The people of Amethi are in my heart. I have been here for 40 years. I am following what has been directed to me by the top leadership. I just want people to give me a chance to serve them.”

After days of speculation on whether Rahul Gandhi would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, Congress on Friday announced Kishori Lal Sharma as its candidate against BJP’s Smriti Irani. Mr Sharma, a loyalist of the Gandhi family, filed his nomination from Amethi, a seat Congress has only lost thrice since 1967.

Amethi will vote in the fifth phase on May 20.

History of the Amethi Lok Sabha seat

The Amethi Lok Sabha constituency was formed in 1967 after the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies. It includes five assembly segments – Tiloi, Salon, Jagdishpur, Gauriganj and Amethi. From 1967 to 1977, Vidya Dhar Bajpai of the Congress was the MP from this seat.

First non-Congress winner

In 1977, Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, made his electoral debut from Amethi. In the post-Emergency era, when the anti-Congress sentiment was at an all-time high, Sanjay Gandhi lost the seat to Ravindra Pratap Singh of the Janata Party.

It was also the first time Amethi voted for a non-Congress candidate.

In the same election, Indira Gandhi also lost the Rae Bareli seat, another Congress stronghold.

When Congress wrestled Amethi

In 1980, Sanjay Gandhi won from Amethi but his tenure was cut short by his death in a plane crash. Following Sanjay Gandhi’s death, his older brother Rajiv Gandhi forayed into politics. In the 1981 Amethi by-elections, Rajiv Gandhi won by a huge margin of over 2 lakh votes against Lok Dal candidate Sharad Yadav.

Rajiv Gandhi, who went on to become India’s Prime Minister in 1984 after the assassination of his mother Indira Gandhi, represented Amethi multiple times, winning elections in 1984, 1989 and 1991. 

Following Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991, Satish Sharma, a close aide of the family, won the by-elections for the Amethi seat. He was re-elected in 1996. Two years later, Mr Sharma lost to BJP’s Sanjay Singh in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. 

When Sonia Gandhi made her political debut

In 1999, Rajiv Gandhi’s wife Sonia Gandhi entered active politics with a debut from the Amethi constituency. Five years later, she vacated the seat for her son Rahul Gandhi, and moved to Rae Bareli. 

How Rahul Gandhi performed in Amethi

In the next three elections, Rahul Gandhi carried forward the legacy of the Gandhis in Amethi, winning three successive elections before his shock defeat to BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019.  

Since the first Lok Sabha election following the second delimitation, the Congress party has lost the Amethi seat only thrice — 1977, 1998 and 2019.

The nomination of Kishori Lal Sharma is also the first time in 25 years that a non-Gandhi is contesting the Amethi seat on a Congress ticket.

Congress Party leader Jairam Ramesh. File
| Photo Credit: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on May 1 said that party chief Mallikarjun Kharge will finalise the candidates for the Rae Bareli and Amethi Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh and the announcement will be made soon.

While addressing a press conference at AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday, Mr. Ramesh said, “CEC has authorized the Congress President for Rae Bareli and Amethi and he will take the decision soon and you will know officially in the next 24 to 30 hours.”

Congress held a Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting earlier on April 27 to discuss the candidates for the remaining seats in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Sources said that a proposal was given from the UP Congress to the CEC that the Gandhi family should contest the Amethi and Raibareli seats and the decision was left to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. Rahul Gandhi lost to BJP’s Smriti Irani in Amethi in the 2019 elections.

Ms. Irani has already filed her nomination papers for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. “It is an absolute honour that BJP and the senior leaders of the party have given me the support for my candidature from Amethi. Because of the positive contribution of PM Modi towards Amethi, in the last 5 years in Amethi, 1.14 lakh homes, 4 lakh toilets, 3.5 lakh water connections were provided and 1.5 lakh families received electricity connections…There are many works that PM Modi has helped deliver to the people of Amethi,” she said.

On being asked about Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s candidature from Amethi and Raebareli, she said that she can contest against anybody only if there is a candidate against her. “I don’t have a candidate against me, I can only contest if there is a candidate against me, ” she said.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is vying for a second term in Parliament from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, having secured a significant victory there during the 2019 elections. So far, the Congress has announced 308 candidates for the seven-phase Lok Sabha election that got underway on April 19.

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand:

Congress leader Priynaka Gandhi Vadra’s husband Robert Vadra, who had earlier expressed his desire to contest from the Amethi parliamentary seat, has said that the “entire country” wishes for him to get into active politics.

Robert Vadra also claimed that Smriti Irani, the sitting MP from Amethi has not fulfilled her promises.

“The voice is coming from the entire country. They want me to get into active politics as I have always been among the people of the country. People always want me to be there in their region. I have campaigned there (Amethi) since 1999. Smriti Irani, the sitting MP from hasn’t fulfilled her promises,” Mr Vadra said when asked whether he would contest from Amethi Lok Sabha seat.

Robert Vadra said that Congress is comfortably ahead of the BJP after the conclusion of two phases of Lok Sabha polls.

“People want change. They want to get rid of the BJP which is misusing the central agencies. People of India are with the Gandhi family as they are seeing the hard work put in by Rahul and Priyanka,” he claimed.

Robert Vadra had expressed similar intentions earlier this month, saying that the people of Amethi expect him to represent their constituency if he thinks of becoming a member of Parliament.

“They want a member of the Gandhi family returns, they will ensure the person’s victory with a huge margin, they also expect that if I take my first step in politics, and think of becoming an MP, then I should represent Amethi,” he had said on April 4.

Earlier, posters featuring Robert Vadra, appeared outside the party’s office on Wednesday in the Gauriganj area of Amethi. This raised speculations of a possible ticket for Vadra.

Robert Vadra, however, said a decision on Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies will be taken by the Congress leadership.

Sources have told  Press Trust of India, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi are likely to contest the Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli and Amethi seats, respectively. A final decision will be taken after April 26 and nominations can be filed next week, according to sources.

Smriti Irani defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi. Irani has been fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party from the seat again.

As per the seat agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress will contest 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state.

Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Amethi (UP):

Amid the suspense over the Congress’s Amethi candidate, posters demanding a poll pass for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s husband Robert Vadra have come up outside the local party office. The posters read, “Amethi ki janta kare pukar, Robert Vadra ab ki baar”, meaning “the people of Amethi want Robert Vadra this time”.

Amethi votes on May 20 in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls, and the last day of filing nomination is May 3. While the BJP has announced sitting MP and Union Minister Smriti Irani as its candidate, the Congress is yet to name its pick.

Amethi has been a family seat for the Gandhis, represented in the past by Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. In the 2019 election, Ms Irani pulled off a stunning victory over Rahul Gandhi, who managed to score a win in Kerala’s Wayanad. This year too, Mr Gandhi is contesting from Wayanad, which votes on Friday. With nominations for Amethi open till May 3, Mr Gandhi may file his papers after the polling in the Kerala seat. Recently, he was asked if he would be Congress’s candidate in Amethi too. “I will do whatever the party orders me,” he replied.

Mr Vadra has, meanwhile, sparked a buzz after he said the people of Amethi feel that if he contests there, “they’ll have the option of correcting their mistake of electing Smritiji”. “I am sure they will ensure my victory by a huge margin if I contest,” he said earlier. Soon after, some posters demanding him as the Congress candidate started doing the rounds on social media.

Ms Irani, whose campaign is in full swing, has slammed the Congress for the delay in announcing its candidate and taken a swipe at Mr Gandhi and his brother-in-law Mr Vadra.

“Jijaji ki nazar hai, saale sahab kya karenge. (brother-in-law is eyeing the seat, what will he (Mr Gandhi) do?) There was a time when people travelling in buses would leave their handkerchief to mark their seat so that no one sits on it. Rahul Gandhi will also come to mark his seat with a handkerchief because his brother-in-law is eyeing this seat,” she recently told a gathering in Amethi.

“Has this ever happened? Just 27 days left for election, but Congress has not announced its candidate. Such arrogance. What I could do in five years, Rahul Gandhi could not do in 15,” she added.

The Union Minister has also alleged that Mr Gandhi will come to Amethi after April 26 and try to divide people in the name of caste.

“After the voting in Wayanad on April 26, Rahul Gandhi will come here to tell everyone that Amethi is his family and stoke the fire of casteism. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party rejected the invitation for the consecration ceremony of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya, but he will be seen roaming around the temples in Amethi. So there is a need to be careful and alert,” she said at a local meeting.

Top Congress leaders had skipped the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple this January, accusing the BJP of making a political project of the Ayodhya temple.

New Delhi:

With the Congress yet to announce its candidate in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, sitting BJP MP Smriti Irani has taken a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and his brother-in-law Robert Vadra, and claimed that she ensured more work in the constituency in five years than Mr Gandhi did in 15.

The remarks come after Mr Vadra sparked speculation that he may contest the Amethi seat, a Congress stronghold where Ms Irani won in 2019. Amethi votes on May 20 in the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls.

“Jijaji ki nazar hai, saale sahab kya karenge. (brother-in-law is eyeing the seat, what will he (Mr Gandhi) do?) There was a time when people travelling in buses would leave their handkerchief to mark their seat so that no one sits on it. Rahul Gandhi will also come to mark his seat with a handkerchief because his brother-in-law is eyeing this seat,” she told a gathering in Amethi.

“Has this ever happened? Just 27 days left for election, but Congress has not announced its candidate. Such arrogance. What I could do in five years, Rahul Gandhi could not do in 15,” Ms Irani added.

Before she defeated Mr Gandhi in the 2019 election, he had represented Amethi for three terms in a row. The seat has been represented in the past by his parents Sonia Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and uncle, late Sanjay Gandhi, and was once considered a bastion of the Congress.

Mr Gandhi, who is contesting from Kerala’s Wayanad, was recently asked if he would be Congress’s candidate in Amethi too. “I will do whatever the party orders me,” he replied.

Earlier, Mr Vadra sparked a buzz when he said that the people of Amethi feel that if he contests there, “they’ll have the option of correcting their mistake of electing Smritiji”. “I am sure they will ensure my victory by a huge margin if I contest,” he said.

Wayanad is voting on April 26 and the last date of filing nomination for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat is May 3. This means Mr Gandhi can announce his nomination after the polling in Wayanad.

Ms Irani’s campaign, meanwhile, is in full swing. She has alleged that Mr Gandhi will come to Amethi after April 26 and try to divide people in the name of caste.

“After the voting in Wayanad on April 26, Rahul Gandhi will come here to tell everyone that Amethi is his family and stoke the fire of casteism. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party rejected the invitation for the consecration ceremony of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya, but he will be seen roaming around the temples in Amethi. So there is a need to be careful and alert,” she said at a local meeting.

Top Congress leaders had skipped the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple this January, accusing the BJP of making a political project of the Ayodhya temple.

Ms Irani has said alleged that Mr Gandhi never raised issues of Amethi in Parliament and people the of the constituency did not even get access to drinking water during his term as MP.

Amethi, Uttar Pradesh:

Fulfilling a promise made to the people in Amethi of establishing family ties with her constituency, Union minister Smriti Irani has become a voter of Amethi.

According to the MP’s representative Vijay Gupta, Smriti Irani applied for becoming a voter after getting a house for herself here in Medan Mawai village of Gauriganj. She is now a voter of the village, he said.

Smriti Irani considers Amethi as her family. She has built her residence here to live among the Amethi family, he said.

With the construction of the house, she had started the process of making herself a voter from Amethi. The formalities have been completed now, Mr Gupta said.

Smriti Irani, who is the Union women and child development and minority welfare minister, has become a voter of booth number 347 in Medan Mawai village of Gauriganj assembly seat which falls under the Amethi parliamentary constituency, he said.

Smriti Irani entered her newly-constructed house in Maidan Mawai village on February 22, 2024.

BJP has declared Smriti Irani as the party’s candidate from the seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, Ms Irani had caused a major upset, defeating former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on the seat by a margin of about 55,000 votes.

The Congress has so far not declared its candidate from Amethi. It is not yet clear whether Rahul Gandhi will contest the elections from the seat.

Polling in Amethi is slated for the fifth phase on May 20.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)