New Delhi: Recently-appointed Congress chief of Uttar Pradesh unit, Ajay Rai, Friday claimed that party MP Rahul Gandhi will contest election from Amethi in the state in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha Election.

The ‘significant’ declaration by Congress’ new chief has stirred situation in the state as Rahul Gandhi may contest the Amethi seat against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and Union Minister Smriti Irani.

Congress’ history to Amethi seat

The stir is not about that only but also about the seat that has been a stronghold of Congress for years in the Indian politics and huge stalwarts like Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi had represented the seat in the Lower House.

The first time in 1971, Congress leader Vidya Dhar Bajpai represented the seat that was later descended to Janata Dal Ravindra Pratap Singh in 1977. After that, son of Indira Gandhi Sanjay Gandhi got hold on Amethi in 1980. Unfortunately in a year, Sanjay Gandhi lost his life in a plane crash accident.

This mandated the by-elections on the seat, in which, Rajiv Gandhi emerged victorious in 1981 and stayed incumbant for a decade. In 1991, Gandhi lost his life to an assasination by the by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

After him, Satish Sharma from the Indian National Congress (INC) secured the seat till 1996. BJP leader Sanjay Singh got hold of Amethi in 1998. That year, the saffron party also emerged to power in the Centre under leadership of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for 13 months till 1999. After that, BJP came in power again in 1991 till 2004.

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Sonia Gandhi, wife of Rajiv Gandhi, defeated BJP from Amethi and got a hold again on the constituency. She was holding the Lok Sabha seat from Amethi until 2004 when she stepped down and Rahul Gandhi took the charge over.

The history tells the Gandhi’s bond with the seat. Loosing the seat to BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani in 2019 hefty costed to the Gandhi family as their existence in the constituency was in question after that. However, the fresh announcement has brought some hope to party workers and supporters here.

Smriti Irani vs Rahul Gandhi 

Smriti Zubin Irani has been a huge critic of Rahul Gandhi and both of them had landed in a controversy just a few days back in the Lower House when a controversy was courted regarding a alleged kiss blown by the Congress MP.

Smriti called Rahul Gandhi a misogynist, while the Conrgess alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s gesture after his speech in Lok Sabha was not of a kiss.