With eye on Lok Sabha elections, BJP and Congress step up heat in Amethi

Lucknow: While the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are yet to be announced, the political temperature in the high-profile Amethi seat has already begun to soar with both the Congress and BJP trying to build momentum that is likely to culminate in a hot contest between the parties.

While the Congress state unit has started the spadework to reclaim the bastion from the ruling BJP, the latter is carrying on with its strategy to disassociate the seat from the legacy of the Gandhi family by highlighting former MP Rahul Gandhi's alleged failures and current MP Smriti Irani's claimed successes. Irani had defeated Gandhi in 2019 by more than 55,000 votes in a historic win, seizing the prestigious seat that has been represented by Sonia Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi as well as Rajiv Gandhi in the past. It all started with UP Congress chief Ajay Rai declaring that Rahul Gandhi will contest the polls from Amethi again. He later clarified that it was the "wish" of the people of Amethi and the Congress workers that Gandhi contests from the seat again.

On Friday, when CM Yogi Adityanath was in Amethi to launch development projects and participate in the Sansad Khel Pratiyogita, both Yogi and Irani attacked Rahul with Irani even challenging Gandhi to re-contest from there. "He does not have the guts to say he will contest another election from here," Irani said, adding that Amethi was no longer known for an MP who "disappeared" but for development.