The Congress party’s delay in naming a candidate for the Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh is trying the local party unit’s patience. On Tuesday, the unit staged a sit-in protest demanding that a Gandhi family member be its candidate for the seat. Amethi will vote in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha election 2024 on May 20.
The protest by Congress staffers comes only three days before the deadline for submitting nomination papers, and the party has yet to announce a candidate for the seat.
Senior party leaders, including Amethi district president Pradeep Singhal and former district president Yogendra Mishra, gathered at the party office, holding banners reading ‘Amethi Maange Rahul Gandhi. Amethi Maange Priyanka Gandhi (Amethi prefers Rahul Gandhi or his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra).
“People in the constituency and Congress workers want a member of the Gandhi family as their candidate. We want Rahul Gandhi to run from Amethi to reclaim its lost honour,” said Anil Singh, the party’s district spokesperson.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress suffered its most significant setback in Amethi, as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Smriti Irani beat Rahul Gandhi. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, his brother Sanjay Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi all represented Amethi in the Lok Sabha, making it a Congress stronghold.
Rahul Gandhi still made it to Parliament after winning the election in Wayanad, but losing Amethi meant losing respect for the Congress. The BJP has renominated Smriti Irani as its candidate in Amethi, but there is speculation in Congress circles that members of the Gandhi family would run for the seat.
The local Congress unit wants Gandhi family members to continue fighting the election from the seat, but the party’s central headquarters is concerned about the optics.
