Congress's tryst with its long-standing bastion Amethi came full circle on Tuesday, with Gandhi family loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma wresting the pocket borough back from BJP's Smriti Irani.
Kishori Lal Sharma defeated sitting MP and BJP minister Smriti Irani in Amethi by 1,67,196 votes, according to the Election Commission.
"This is the victory of the Gandhi family and the people of Amethi,” said Sharma.
As the early trends emerged, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi posted on X, “Kishori bhaiya, I never had any doubts, I was sure from the beginning that you would win. Hearty congratulations to you and my dear brothers and sisters of Amethi!”
The Amethi Lok Sabha seat is among the most talked-about constituencies this polls season. Exit polls had predicted that Irani would retain her seat. She had emerged as a giant-killer in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, and defeated the then Congress president Rahul Gandhi from the Nehru-Gandhi bastion Amethi by over 50,000 votes. Irani first entered the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat in 2011 and was re-elected in August 2017.
Irani expressed her gratitude to all the BJP party workers and supporters and those who worked in the service of the constituency "...Today, I am grateful to PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath that their governments have completed the pending works of 30 years in just 5 years. I congratulate those who win. I will continue to be in the service of the people of Amethi..." she said at a press conference.
In a post on X, Irani later thanked the people of Amethi for supporting her during her tenure. Her post said:
Who is Kishori Lal Sharma?
KL Sharma, originally from Punjab, arrived in Amethi in 1983 as a Congress worker. He forged close ties with the late Congress leader and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Following Rajiv Gandhi's demise in 1991, Sharma continued his dedication to the Congress cause in Amethi, even during periods when the Gandhi family refrained from direct electoral involvement in the 1990s, campaigning for other Congress candidates. He was the key person who looked after the two key constituencies in Uttar Pradesh.
Sharma is also said to be the key factor behind Sonia Gandhi's electoral victory in 1999, marking her entry into Parliament through a triumph in Amethi.
In 2004, when Rahul Gandhi was elected to the Lok Sabha from Amethi, Sharma expanded his responsibilities to manage the party's affairs in both Amethi and Rae Bareli. In the absence of the Gandhis, he was the key person who looked after the two key constituencies in UP.
The Amethi seat comprises five assembly segments, including Tiloi, Salon, Jagdishpur, Gauriganj, and Amethi. The constituency is a general seat. Voting for the Amethi seat was held in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on May 20.
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