Union Minister and BJP candidate Smriti Irani has challenged Congress MP Rahul Gandhi to contest elections from Amethi. There has been a contest between Smriti Irani and Rahul Gandhi twice in Amethi. In such a situation, the question arises whether Amethi will once again see a contest between Rahul Gandhi and Smriti Irani.

Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi from Amethi by 55 thousand votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Rahul has been MP from here thrice. Smriti has challenged Rahul Gandhi to contest the elections from Amethi alone. At the same time, Congress has not yet opened its cards on the possibility of Rahul contesting elections from Amethi again.

Amidst all this, Smriti Irani has intensified her election campaign in Amethi. She is continuously visiting the temples of Amethi. She also visited a temple in Amethi on the first day of Navratri. 

'Rahul bin Amethi Soon'

Till 2019, Amethi was a stronghold of Congress. Rahul Gandhi, who was MP from here three times, lost to Smriti Irani in 2019. Earlier in 2014, he had defeated Smriti Irani by a margin of one lakh votes.

However, now the situation seems to have changed here. There is silence in the Congress office of Amethi. Most of the cabins are also locked. The guest house in the office where Rahul stayed during his Amethi tour also looks deserted.

But, despite all this, local Congress leaders of Amethi are demanding to make Rahul Gandhi be a candidate from here. A poster with the tagline 'Rahul bin Amethi Soon' is put up in the Congress office of Amethi. This shows that the local Congressmen want Rahul to contest elections again from here.

What does the public say?

The public mood is in 50-50 mode on the contest between Smriti vs Rahul from Amethi. Many people claim that Smriti Irani is winning again from here. Whereas, some people want Rahul to contest elections from here. However, some people are unhappy with both BJP and Congress. He claims that after Sanjay Gandhi no one worked for Amethi.

Amethi has been a stronghold of Congress

Amethi, located in Central UP, is considered to be the most high-profile seat of Indian politics. Since 1980, four members of the Nehru-Gandhi family have been MPs from here. Which includes Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi won his first Lok Sabha election from here. In 2004, he started his political career in Amethi and won from there by a margin of about three lakh votes. In 2009 also, Rahul had won the elections here by a huge margin. In the 2014 elections, he defeated BJP's Smriti Irani by a margin of one lakh votes. However, in 2019 Rahul Gandhi lost the elections from here.

Will there be a fight again for the third time?

Most of the people want that there should be a contest between Smriti Irani and Rahul Gandhi once again in Amethi. Congress workers believe that if anyone other than Rahul Gandhi is made the candidate, then the fight will be between Congress vs Smriti Irani and the BJP can benefit from this.

However, Congress' internal survey indicates that if Rahul Gandhi contests against Smriti Irani in Amethi, the Congress will clearly benefit from here.

A Congress leader, on the condition of anonymity, said that the internal survey has shown an 80 percent proan probability of Congress's victory because the people of Amethi are angry with the work of sitting MP Smriti Irani.

Like in 2019, Rahul Gandhi is contesting elections from Wayanad this time too. Voting is to be held in Wayanad on 26th April. It is believed that after voting in Wayanad, Congress can open its cards to Amethi. There is a prevalent belief in Congress circles to face political challenges boldly. Most people believe that Rahul Gandhi should contest elections again from Amethi without worrying about the results. 

Amethi is popular for Moonj products

Just as Rampur is popular for its knives and Kannauj for its perfumes, similarly Amethi is popular for Moonj products. This grass, which grows naturally throughout the year, is called 'Sarpat' in the local dialect. This grass is found in the low-lying areas of the district. People here make many types of decorative items from Moonj like footmats, carry bags, stools, ropes, pen stands, chairs, tables, etc.