Taking a dig at BJP’s Amethi candidate Smriti Irani, UBT Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said that he feels “pity’ for her as she will now have to face defeat from Rahul Gandhi personal assistant. Addressing a press conference, Raut said, “I feel mercy and pity for Smriti Irani because now, she will lose to Rahul Gandhi’s PA…This is a well-thought-out decision. KL Sharma is a loyal worker of the Congress party. He has worked for several years with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in Amethi.”
He added further that people close to the Gandhi family have contested from Amethi in the past as well. “People close to the Gandhi family have fought from Amethi previously…Why is the BJP so concerned?… From RK Dhawan to many other people, several have contested from Amethi. Why does the BJP have an issue with this? They should contest their elections.”
Raut praised KL Sharma by calling him a grassroot worker and said, “He is a grassroot worker. If a grassroot worker contests elections, what problem does the BJP have in that? He is a Congress worker only. He has not been brought from outside like the BJP brings people to contest elections. KL Sharma is winning the elections. This time he will defeat Smriti Irani.”
Following weeks of discussions and rumors, the Congress declared on Friday that Rahul Gandhi will be the candidate from the traditional Gandhi family stronghold of Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, with KL Sharma contesting from Amethi in the current Lok Sabha elections. Rahul has held the Amethi seat since 2004 and served as a Member of Parliament from the constituency until 2019. His father, the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, was also a member of Amethi in the Lower House from 1981 until his passing in 1991.
Sonia Gandhi contested elections from Amethi in 1999 before handing over the responsibility to Rahul in 2004. Sharma will compete directly with Union Minister Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, turning the Congress stronghold seat. Additionally, the Shiv Sena leader shared his opinion on the voting percentage, suggesting that measures should be taken against individuals who take leave on the day of voting. “It is a good thing that the voting percentage should be increased… At least 80 oer cent of people should vote, and I believe action should be taken against people who go on leave on the day of voting. If we want to save the democracy of the country, then the maximum number of people should vote.”
On being asked about the joining of Sanjay Nirupam in the Shiv Sena, Raut said, “He has not joined our party, Shiv Sena. If someone goes to any other party, then we have nothing to do with it. It is Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena.” The previous day, former Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, along with his wife and daughter, joined Shiv Sena in Mumbai in the presence of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde.
