Congress President Rahul Gandhi filed nomination from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency today. Accompanying him were his mother and sister, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Rahul was also accompanied by his brother-in-law Robert Vadra, husband of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who is under investigation for various serious charges. Amethi, which has been a strong hold of the Gandhi family for long, has been seeing strong winds of support for BJP’s Smriti Irani, who has been working to build political support in Amethi since the last General Elections of 2014.
Rahul Gandhi, being aware of this challenge coming his way in the erstwhile family bastion, has also decided to contest form Wayanad, Kerala which is being considered as a safe seat for Rahul Gandhi. So questions now arise on the futility of this exercise by Rahul Gandhi? Rahul Gandhi is under tremendous pressure to safeguard his seat in Lok Sabha, with Smriti Irani nearly certain to win the elections in Amethi.
People of Amethi have also displayed their reservations about Rahul Gandhi. Despite giving multiple chances to the biggest political dynasty in India , Amethi is yet to see any significant development and Rahul jumping his base to Wayanad is certainly not going down well with the voters in Amethi.
The timing of filing nominations speaks lengths about Rahul’s confidence in his popularity in Amethi. Rahul Gandhi, in a display of strength, first filed his nomination from Wayanad and later on went to his so-called ‘stronghold’ Amethi. Rahul Gandhi also seems to be aware of the fact that his receding popularity in Amethi is poised to convert into an embarrassing electoral defeat. Smriti Irani has been successful in increasing the support base exponentially for BJP in Amethi. This can be read as a clear signal that Rahul Gandhi understands the ground realities well. He knows that it will be next to impossible for him to retain the family bastion.
Satish Tiwari, 35, resident of Saraibhagmani village in Gauriganj, has been voting for the Gandhi family ever since he got to his voting age. However, he says that he may vote for BJP’s candidate Smriti Irani this time.
“I am hurt. Rahulji’s decision to opt for Wayanad is an insult to Amethi. We have always treated the Gandhis as family and they too have given us a similar impression. But, Wayanad makes it obvious that they are exploring options,” he says.
Sanjay Singh, the gram Pradhan of Saraikhema village and a Congress supporter till the last general election, says he will be choosing work over dynasty.
“In the last five years, I have seen how India has shown fresh resolve in taking on Pakistan. And yes, Rahul’s decision to contest from Wayanad too has given the impression that Congress is feeling jittery,” he says.
With political situation rapidly deteriorating for Rahul Gandhi in the constituency, BSP and SP of the Mahagathbandhan have decided not to field any candidate from the Gandhi’s home constituency, which is likely to aid Rahul Gandhi. However, the strong current of remorse against the Gandhi family is surely going to turn into a humiliating defeat for the Congress President in this election. The 2014 General elections also indicated towards the downtrend in Rahul’s popularity in Amethi. Last elections Rahul Gandhi saw a huge 25% drop in his voter base compared to the 2009 general elections, while Smriti Irani boosted BJP’s vote share by a massive 28.5 %.
