Will BJP’s Smriti Irani be able to retain the Congress bastion she won in 2019?

Amethi, one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, is gearing up for an intense election battle on May 20. In the past, the seat was represented by notable members of the Nehru-Gandhi family including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Sanjay. Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Created in 1967, the constituency was initially called Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar but was renamed Amethi. The first MP from this seat was Vidyadhar Bajpai of the Congress. From 1971 to 1977, Ravindra Pratap Singh of the Janata Party was a parliamentarian from here.

In 1980, Sanjay Gandhi of the Congress defeated Ravindra Pratap Singh. After Sanjay Gandhi’s death in a plane crash, a by-election in 1981 saw Rajiv Gandhi win the seat.

In 1999, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi won her first election. She vacated her seat in 2004 for her son Rahul Gandhi, who won three consecutive terms in Amethi before a shock defeat to the BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019.

Date

Amethi will go to polls in phase 5 on May 20.

List of candidates

The BJP has fielded Union Minister Smriti Irani as its candidate after she successfully contested against Rahul Gandhi in 2019.

For the first time in many years, the Congress fielded a non-Gandhi candidate in Amethi. Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, will represent the Congress. This decision marks a notable change in the party’s strategy towards the constituency.

2019 result

The 2019 election results were a major upset for the Congress as Smriti Irani’s victory ended the Gandhi family’s long-standing rule in Amethi. This year’s elections will be closely watched to see if Irani can retain her seat against Congress’ Kishori Lal Sharma.