Rahul Gandhi loses parliamentary seat in family bastion of Amethi

Gandhi said his opponent, cabinet minister Smriti Irani, had won the election in Amethi

Reuters  |  New Delhi 

Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Gandhi addresses a press conference on Thursday, May 23, 2019

Rahul Gandhi, the president of India's opposition party, said he had lost his own parliament seat in a family borough in a northern state in the biggest upset of the election on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party handed a heavy defeat to the and regional parties and Gandhi could not save his own seat in the constituency of in Uttar Pradesh state.

Gandhi said his opponent, cabinet minister Smriti Irani, had won the election in Amethi, which his family has held almost continuously for the last four decades.

A television channel said Gandhi, however, had won from a constituency in southern India, the second place he chose to run from in the election.

Read our full coverage on Lok Sabha elections 2019
First Published: Thu, May 23 2019. 18:08 IST