Lok Sabha polls: Irani steps up efforts to woo Amethi voters
Smriti Irani had wrested the high-profile Lok Sabha constituency from the grand old party in 2019, riding the “Modi wave”
LUCKNOW: As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections draw closer, Union minister Smriti Irani has stepped up efforts to reach out to the people of Amethi, her parliamentary constituency, making frequent visits to the Uttar Pradesh district and drawing attention of the voters towards various initiatives of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union and state governments.
Irani, the Union women and child development minister, had wrested the high-profile Lok Sabha constituency — once considered a Congress bastion — from the grand old party in 2019, riding the “Modi wave”.
Irani, who according to party insiders is likely to contest the forthcoming general election from the seat, has traversed the remotest parts of her constituency in the last two months as part of the Amethi Vikas Yatra (development tour). The campaign, a party functionary said, is aimed at showcasing how things have changed in Amethi since 2019.
Through the yatra, the Union minister is trying to connect with the people of her constituency at a more personal level, the functionary said, requesting anonymity. “It is evident from her frequent visits to even the remotest of villages in Amethi. It not only helps in building a positive impression with the people but also enthuses party workers to do more,” the functionary added.
Vehicles carrying large pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with slogan “Amethi Ke Modi” imprinted on them are being used in the yatra, as the ruling party looks to cement its 2019 gains in the constituency by reinforcing PM’s appeal among the people.
Pointing at her efforts, state BJP leaders sounded confident of repeating the 2019 results. “We are winning Amethi big time,” deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said. “We are confident of all 80 Lok Sabha seats [in the state].”
The Union minister was in Amethi on Thursday afternoon, barely a week after her last visit on July 1, when she met voters in several rural pockets while walking in the rain.
Irani’s 2019 win in Amethi came at the cost of then Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who lost the seat considered the party’s bastion, having won the seat thrice consecutively since 2004. It was only the third time the Congress lost this seat.
The Congress still appears uncertain on its Amethi plan, primarily because Gandhi is awaiting the Gujarat high court’s decision on his appeal challenging his disqualification as the Wayanad MP following his conviction and two-year sentencing by a lower court in March this year. Conviction and two-year jail term also leave Gandhi ineligible to contest elections for eight years.
“We aren’t bothered about who is doing what. The Congress’s association with the constituency is not just political, it is familial,” former Congress MLA Akhilesh Pratap Singh said. “Surely, the Congress will contest and win this time. Let us wait for the court decision, why jump the gun.”
However, the BJP has been pushing hard to expand its growing appeal in the region. Of the five assembly constituencies in Amethi, BJP has three while the Samajwadi Party holds the remaining two.
Since 2017, the Congress has not been able to win an assembly seat in Amethi, in a contrast to the situation in 2012, when the BJP had neither an MP nor an MLA from Amethi.