What people of Amethi think of Rahul Gandhi's 'ghar wapsi'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi won the 2019 LS polls from Wayanad but lost in Amethi

As voting wraps up in Kerala's Wayanad, where incumbent MP Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election, the attention will expectedly shift to Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Congress has so far kept suspense on its candidates in both Amethi and Raebareli - the two Uttar Pradesh constituencies that have been its pocket boroughs for decades.

Amethi goes to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20. The last date for filing of nomination is May 3. So the Congress is expected to take a decision soon.

In 2019, Rahul lost Amethi to Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani in a contest that was billed as a matter of prestige for the Congress.

Despite the loss in 2019, Rahul Gandhi has kept a close connection with Amethi. In several public speeches since 2019, he called the constituency "his home" and said that "no one can separate him from Amethi".

Moreover, party sources have said that Rahul is likely to contest from Amethi again and that the Congress was waiting for polling to conclude in Wayanad to declare his candidature.

But what about the voters of Amethi? Do they want Rahul to contest again?

According to The Times of India, which spoke to the voters of Amethi, the electorate is split about Rahul Gandhi contesting from his erstwhile bastion.

While several supporters of Congress and other locals said they want Rahul to contest again, there were voices of dissatisfaction as well.

A medical store owner said assertively that Rahul will contest from Amethi and added that people must vote for him. An activist and lawyer said that Rahul will win by a big margin if he decides to contest.

A businessman said that he would support any candidate fielded by Congress, though he prefers that Rahul be given the ticket from Amethi.

However, one voter told TOI that Rahul has "done nothing" for Amethi during his three terms.

Another lawyer told TOI that he is opposed to Rahul contesting from Amethi, saying that people cannot vote for someone "who cannot take a decision".

"Amethi was his safe bet and legacy but he did not trust its people and so the electorate chose someone else," he said.

The mixed sentiment comes at a time when Smriti Irani has been openly challenging the Congress leader to contest against him.

In her campaigning ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Smriti, who is contesting from Amethi again, targeted Rahul repeatedly and claimed that he did nothing for the people of the constituency during his 15-year tenure.

She also took potshots at Rahul for now choosing Wayanad as his "family".

It also comes at a time when a section of Congress workers suggested that Robert Vadra, Priyanka Gandhi's husband, should contest from Amethi in case Rahul decides to stick with just Wayanad.