'Amethi seat Gandhi family's amanat...': Kishori Lal Sharma, says 'my win will be their victory'

Congress candidate from the Amethi seat, Kishori Lal Sharma, said that BJP’s claim of Congress accepting defeat in this constituency by not fielding anyone from the Gandhi family shows its “arrogance".

Rahul Gandhi is contesting the Lok Sabha election from the Rae Bareli seat, while Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, has been fielded from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. Sharma had been an MP representative for Rae Bareli and Amethi, looking after the two Gandhi family bastions.

The Congress leader said he has been looking after the Rae Bareli and Amethi constituencies for more than 41 years, and the Gandhi family resides in the minds of everyone.

“This is right that it is their constituency. Even in the past Captain Satish Sharma fought from here but when Sonia ji had to fight, he handed over the seat to Sonia ji. If such a situation arises in the future, I will do the same,” he asserted.

Sharma said the stamp of the Gandhi family will always be there in the constituency and he will ensure that it is maintained.

“If elected I will work as an MP and will keep Gandhi family’s ‘amanat’ safe,” Sharma said.

Asked about the BJP’s criticism that the Congress had accepted defeat in Amethi by fielding him instead of a Gandhi family member, Sharma said, “The answer to this will be given by the people on May 20 and the result will be out on June 4.” 

On BJP’s jibes that Rahul Gandhi “ran away” because he was scared of losing from Amethi, Sharma said those who were born after Independence do not know the history of the Gandhi family.

“Neither the Gandhis (Nehru-Gandhi family) ran away during the time of the Britishers nor have they run away now or will so so in the future. We will make others run away. Rahul Gandhi is touring the whole country and ensuring that the BJP runs away,” he told PTI.

The Congress candidate also didn't agree that Rahul Gandhi was defeated from the seat in 2019. He claimed that power and administration were misused and there were also some shortcomings on the part of the Congress’ management that he lost by about 55,000 votes.

“People did not defeat Rahul Gandhi, if they had defeated him by 3 lakh votes, I would have thought they would have voted to defeat him. But he got over 4 lakh votes and lost by over 55,000 votes. I never blame the people of Amethi for the loss,” the Congress leader said.

Sharma refused to make any prediction for the seat and asserted that it is up to the people to decide.

Asked if his victory would be the Gandhi family’s victory from here, Sharma said, “It will be their victory.” 

Speaking about BJP’s Rae Bareli candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh’s jibes calling Sharma Gandhi family’s “peon” and “Priyanka Gandhi’s clerk”, Sharma said whatever values the BJP leaders would have been given from their family is with them.

It is the first time in 25 years that a Gandhi family member will not be contesting election from the seat. The Congress bastion was breached in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when BJP’s Smriti Irani beat Rahul Gandhi by more than 55,000 votes. 

As per the announcement by the Election Commission of India, the date of voting for the Amethi Lok Sabha Constituency Election 2024 is set for May 20, falling within Phase 5 of the electoral process

(With inputs from PTI)