May 03, 2024 04:21 PM IST
Kishori Lal Sharma, who is from Punjab’s Ludhiana, has worked for the Gandhis in Amethi and Rae Bareli since the 1980s
On Friday morning, the Congress announced its candidates for the Gandhi family pocket boroughs of Amethi and Rae Bareli, ending much speculation hours before the nomination process was due to end at 3pm. The party’s preparations ahead of the announcement—planning for road shows, processions, hoardings of the Gandhis, etc—indicated both Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi could contest. But that was not to be with Priyanka Gandhi opting out of the contest to focus on campaigning across the country.
Rahul Gandhi, who also contested Lok Sabha polls from Kerala’s Wayanad, was named as the candidate from Rae Bareli, replacing his mother Sonia Gandhi, and Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi.
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Sharma will be the first non-Gandhi Congress candidate from Amethi since 1998. Rahul Gandhi lost the Amethi seat to Union minister Smriti Irani by 55,000 votes in 2019 but managed to win from Wayanad. Irani became the first BJP leader to defeat any Gandhi family leader in Amethi since 1999.
Sharma’s nomination was speculated along with Deepak Singh and Aradhana Mishra for the two seats
Sharma, who is from Punjab’s Ludhiana, has worked for the Gandhis in Amethi and Rae Bareli since the 1980s. He began his work for the Congress in its central Uttar Pradesh stronghold when Rajiv Gandhi won the Amethi by-poll after the death of his brother Sanjay Gandhi. Sharma has worked in both Amethi and Rae Bareli for the Gandhis in the elections since.
Sharma, who became Rae Bareli Member of Parliament Sonia Gandhi’s representative in 2004, is up against Irani. Ahead of the announcement of candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli, Sharma held a series of meetings with Congress workers. On Thursday, he said they have requested both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to contest.
Priyanka Gandhi said Sharma has worked in Amethi and Rae Bareli for 40 years and urged the voters to support him. She added Sharma knows the constituency, its people as well as the problems of the area.
In a post on X in Hindi, she welcomed Sharma’s candidature, saying her family has a long-standing relationship with him. She wrote Sharma has always been engaged wholeheartedly in serving the people of Amethi and Rae Bareli. Priyanka Gandhi called Sharma’s passion for the public service exemplary. She added Sharma’s loyalty and dedication to his duty would bring him electoral success.
Sharma said he would have preferred a Gandhi to contest but he could not refuse the party’s order when he was asked to fight the election. He said he has always been a worker of the Gandhi family and he would fulfil whatever responsibility has been entrusted to him.
Rahul Gandhi’s first rally in Amethi in February since his loss of the family pocket borough in 2019 was seen as his homecoming. He spoke about his family’s relationship with Amethi and called it a bond of love, sparking speculation about his renomination from the central Uttar Pradesh seat.
Rahul Gandhi won his first election from Amethi in 2004 by about 300,000 votes. He retained the seat in 2009 and 2014 when he defeated Irani by about 100,000 votes. Rahul Gandhi lost to Irani by 55,000 votes in 2019 but managed to win from Wayanad in Kerala.
In 1998, BJP’s Sanjaya Sinh defeated Congress’s Satish Sharma from Amethi. Sonia Gandhi wrested the seat a year later defeating Sinh.
A section of Congress wanted Rahul Gandhi to contest again from Amethi with Congress state unit chief Ajai Rai maintaining the people of the constituency have the family in their hearts.
