E-Paper
‘She takes husband’s name less, my name more’: Smriti Irani on Priyanka Gandhi
Amethi, the Gandhi family stronghold witnessed one of the most high-profile contests in 2014 when Gandhi defeated Irani by more than one lakh votes.
Union minister and BJP candidate from Amethi Smriti Irani took a swipe at Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday, the days her constituency voted with 50 other seats across 7 states in phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections.
“She did not know my name 5 years back, now she keeps taking my name, such an accomplishment. Nowadays she takes her husband’s name less and my name more,” the BJP’s Amethi candidate said, according to news agency ANI.
Attacking her Congress opponent from the seat, Rahul Gandhi, she said: “A person died as he was denied treatment at hospital where Rahul Gandhi is trustee, in Amethi just because he had Ayushman Bharat card,” ANI added.
Also Read | Key seats in heartland vote in power-packed phase 5 of Lok Sabha polls
Amethi, the Gandhi family stronghold witnessed one of the most high-profile contests in 2014 when Gandhi defeated Irani by more than one lakh votes. The Congress president has retained the seat ever since his mother Sonia Gandhi vacated it for him in 1999.
This time too, Gandhi and Irani are in a direct contest with the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party alliance not fielding any candidates here. Rahul Gandhi is also contesting from Kerala’s Wayanad seat, which went to polls on April 23.
Phase 5 of Lok Sabha elections, largely in Hindi speaking states – barring West Bengal and J&K -- is witnessing some very high-profile contests. Among those in the fray in this round are Rajnath Singh from Lucknow, Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli, Rajyavardhan Rathore from Jaipur Rural, Rajiv Pratap Rudy from Saran and Dinesh Trivedi from Barrackpore
In 2014, the NDA had won 41 out of the 51 seats, 27 more than its 2009 tally.
