National Desk, 3rd May: Amidst a significant political shift, Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, historically synonymous with the Gandhi family’s political influence, braces for a departure from tradition as no Gandhi family member contests the Lok Sabha seat for the first time in 25 years.
Long considered a bastion of the Gandhi family’s political legacy since its establishment in 1967, Amethi faces a transformative electoral cycle, signaling a new political landscape for the Congress stronghold.
Commenting on the development, Amethi MP & Union Minister Smriti Irani remarks, “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.”
The stronghold’s historical narrative was altered in the 2019 general elections when BJP’s Smriti Irani secured victory over Rahul Gandhi by a substantial margin of over 55,000 votes.
In a recent announcement, Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Gandhi family, is slated to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Raebareli constituency, previously held by his mother, as confirmed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in a press release issued on May 3. Simultaneously, Kishori Lal is set to contest from Amethi, a seat lost by Rahul to BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019.
Responding to these developments, the BJP named Dinesh Pratap Singh as its nominee from Raebareli, who contested against Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
With the nomination filing deadline closing on May 3 for the seats scheduled for polling on May 20 in the fifth phase of the seven-phase general elections, parties have intensified their efforts in the nomination process for both constituencies.
Rahul Gandhi, who represented Amethi from 2004 until 2019 and currently holds the Wayanad constituency in Kerala, reaffirms his commitment to abide by the party’s directives.
Raebareli, traditionally considered a stronghold of the Gandhi-Nehru family, was previously represented by Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2024. Before that, Sonia Gandhi contested and represented the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in 1999, succeeding Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in the seat.
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