Kishori’s Amethi victory a double delight for Ludhiana
As the Congress workers in Ludhiana were celebrating party’s Punjab chief’s win, the news of Sharma defeating the Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, that too by a healthy margin of 1,67,196 votes, brought more cheer to them
Kishori Lal Sharma, a Ludhiana-based businessman and a Gandhi family loyalist, brought double delight for the Congress as he won Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi seat. The Congress bastion, which was secured by Smriti Irani in the last general elections.
As the Congress workers in Ludhiana were celebrating party’s Punjab chief’s win, the news of Sharma defeating the Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, that too by a healthy margin of 1,67,196 votes, brought more cheer to them. Amethi, once a stronghold of the Congress, saw the grand old party getting back to winning ways.
After Sharma maintained a lead of over 50,000 votes in the afternoon, relatives and friends started gathering at his ancestral house in Ludhiana to congratulate the family. Former cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu had also campaigned for Sharma in Amethi.
The supporters celebrated Sharma’s victory by distributing laddus and dancing Bhangra to the beats of drums. Sharma’s friend Vijay Kumar Gogi says that he has lived up to the trust shown by the Congress party while fielding him from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. “Kishori Lal Sharma had the challenge of regaining the lost bastion of the Gandhi family and he has accomplished this challenge. Due to the 40 years of hard work and patience of Kishori Lal Sharma in Amethi, he is in the headlines among media houses today,” he added.
Sharma has been associated with the Gandhi family for about 40 years and has been active in Amethi politics for a long time. He is a resident of Shivaji in Ludhiana but spends most of his time in Amethi.
Sharma became more active in the Youth Congress in the 1980s. In the 1980s, he was posted as youth coordinator in the Jagdishpur assembly constituency of Amethi. When Rajiv Gandhi won the election from Amethi and became the Prime Minister, he put Sharma in-charge of the segment after being impressed by his performance. Sharma has also been performing his responsibilities with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi from the constituency. Although Sharma has spent most of his time in Amethi, his attachment with Ludhiana has not ended.
Came to vote in Ludhiana, emotional while meeting old friends
On Saturday, the day of polling, he reached Ludhiana to cast his vote. He was visibly emotional on meeting his old friends. Former district Congress president Ashwani Sharma, Youth Congress national co-secretary Yogesh Handa, Youth Congress members Avi Malhotra, Avi Verma, Chetan Dhall, Rakesh Kad, Devanand Sharma and Kulwinder Virk also visited Sharma’s family.