Amethi Witnesses Shift Away from Gandhi Family Legacy in Lok Sabha Elections

Historically entrenched as a bastion of the Gandhi family’s political legacy since its inception in 1967, Amethi braces for a transformative electoral cycle, indicating a shift in the political landscape for the Congress stronghold.

Commenting on this shift, Amethi MP & Union Minister Smriti Irani observes, “The absence of a Gandhi family member contesting from Amethi itself signifies that the Congress has conceded defeat in Amethi even before the elections.”

The narrative of this stronghold underwent a dramatic change during the 2019 general elections when BJP’s Smriti Irani clinched victory over Rahul Gandhi by a significant margin of over 55,000 votes.

In a recent announcement, Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Gandhi family, is set to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the Raebareli constituency, formerly represented by his mother, as confirmed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in a press release issued on May 3. Meanwhile, Kishori Lal is positioned to contest from Amethi, a seat lost by Rahul to BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019.

In response to these developments, the BJP has nominated Dinesh Pratap Singh as its candidate from Raebareli, who contested against Sonia Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

With the nomination filing deadline closing on May 3 for the seats scheduled for polling on May 20 in the fifth phase of the seven-phase general elections, parties have intensified their efforts in the nomination process for both constituencies.

Rahul Gandhi, who represented Amethi from 2004 until 2019 and currently holds the Wayanad constituency in Kerala, reaffirms his commitment to abide by the party’s directives.

Raebareli, traditionally considered a stronghold of the Gandhi-Nehru family, was previously represented by Sonia Gandhi from 2004 to 2024. Before that, Sonia Gandhi contested and represented the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in 1999, succeeding Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in the seat.