Aditi Singh had been suspended from the Congress party because she did not subscribe to the highly nepotistic culture prevalent within the Grand Old Party. The Gandhis control practically everything within the Congress, and this did not auger well with Aditi Singh. So, who is Aditi Singh? Aditi Singh is that key that ensured Sonia Gandhi’s victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Rae Bareli. The short-sightedness and inflated egos of the dynasts are now about to cost them their lone seat from Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 general elections. Now, Aditi Singh has jumped ship to the Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), and she is pumped up to destroy Priyanka Vadra in Uttar Pradesh.
Congress MLA from Rae Bareli, Singh, on Wednesday formally joined the BJP along with rebel BSP MLA from Sigri in Azamgarh, Vandana Singh. Welcoming them in the party, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh said the “two strong woman leaders” would counter Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple Yadav in Azamgarh, and Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka Gandhi in Rae Bareli.
Addressing the media after her induction into the BJP, Singh said, “The Congress knows that they stand nowhere in UP. Therefore, they are fooling the women with promises… in the last election, Congress had won 7 seats and I was one of them. My effort will be to contest from the same seat (Rae Bareli) till I am in politics.” So, Aditi Singh is all set to unseat Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli.
Why Aditi Singh is Crucial in Rae Bareli
Sonia Gandhi’s victory from Rae Bareli in 2019 came with a rider. Her victory margin contracted from 3,52,713 votes in 2014 to a meagre 1,67,178 votes in 2019. A drop of close to 1.8 lakh votes! This, even as the BJP fielded a mediocre candidate against her from Rae Bareli. Aditi Singh is the daughter of Akhilesh Singh, who was a five-time MLA from Rae Bareli. The man commanded immense respect in the entirety of Rae Bareli, and was a strongman all by himself, capable of swinging elections.
Aditi Singh has inherited the same command over Rae Bareli from her father. In 2017, Singh won from the Rae Bareli Sadar assembly constituency by a margin of 95,000 votes, even in the face of a massive Modi wave in the state. If Aditi Singh could survive a Modi wave of that magnanimity, for her to put an end to the Congress’s fortunes in Rae Bareli will not be much of an uphill task.
Once rumoured to be Rahul Gandhi’s bride, Aditi Singh is today prepared to decimate whatever remains of the Congress in UP.
Aditi Singh and BJP a Match Since a Long Time
Aditi Singh has supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP on more occasions than one. Singh came out in total support of the Modi government’s act of abrogating Article 370 in August last year. Again, in 2019 itself, Aditi Singh had defied the Congress’ call to boycott a special assembly session called by the Adityanath government. Further, she did not participate in a foot march organised by Priyanka Vadra to mark Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.
Read more: After Amethi, Raebareli could slip out of Congress’ hands with Aditi Singh on Yogi’s side
Speaking to Times of India in the backdrop of her suspension from the Congress’ Women’s Wing, Singh said that she admired the working style of Yogi Adityanath. She further said that he is doing an extremely good job in the state, and his handling of the anti-CAA protests was particularly praiseworthy.
Last week, Singh slammed Priyanka Vadra after she questioned the Modi government’s repeal of the three farm laws. “Priyanka Gandhi had a problem when bills were brought. She has a problem when the laws have been repealed. What does she want? She should say it clearly. She is only politicising the matter. She has now run out of issues to politicise,” Singh was quoted by news agency ANI.
Now that she has joined the BJP formally, the Congress, rest assured, is in for a big ride in its bastion of Rae Bareli.