Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Smriti Irani on Wednesday took a jibe at her Congress rival Rahul Gandhi on reports that the Wayanad MP is likely to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections from both Amethi and Wayanad, and said, “This is the sign of Congress’ defeat…”.
An Uttar Pradesh Congress leader on Wednesday said that party leader Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha election from Amethi – a constituency he has represented several times since 2002.
Smriti Irani on Wednesday said, “I don’t know who the Congress candidate would be (from Amethi), but this is a strange spectacle in the politics of Congress that for the first time, Congress is taking so long to declare their candidate from Amethi. This is the sign of Congress’ defeat…”
Smriti Irani’s statement came amid intense speculations that the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi aims to reclaim his hold over the Amethi seat – after 2019’s defeat. Rahul Gandhi, a former Congress president, represented Amethi in Parliament from 2002 till 2019.
Rahul Gandhi lost the Amethi seat to Smriti Irani during the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.
Congress District President Pradeep Singhal, who returned after a meeting in Delhi, said Gandhi will be the party candidate from Amethi and his name would be announced soon.
There is, however, no word from the party’s central leadership on the matter. The party’s Central Election Committee meeting is yet to take place.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the first meeting of the Congress’s Central Election Committee will take place at 6pm on March 7.
Amethi remains a seat of interest in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections — if Rahul Gandhi becomes the Congress’s candidate, or if someone else replaces Rahul Gandhi.
Amethi has been the Congress stronghold since 1980s, and Rahul Gandhi represented the constituency since 2002.
When Congress’s yatra passed through Amethi a few weeks ago, Jairam Ramesh said Amethi still wants Rahul Gandhi. If Rahul Gandhi is not fielded, all eyes will be on the Congress leader who will get the mighty fight.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s election debut from Raebareli is also speculated as Sonia Gandhi has vacated the seat and moved to the Rajya Sabha. Like Amethi, Raebareli is also a stronghold of the Congress.
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Published: 06 Mar 2024, 07:37 PM IST