Congress struggles to reclaim Rae Bareli, Amethi amid voter disappointment with Rahul Gandhi: ‘Woh zamana gaya…’

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Kerala's Wayanad, while Sonia Gandhi made the move to Rajya Sabha, dropping out of 2024 Lok Sabha polls, leaving the Rae Bareli seat vacant. Rahul Gandhi was declared as the Wayanad candidate for Congress in the Lok Sabha polls, resting apprehensions that the Congress leader would be fielded to take on BJP's Smriti Irani again. In 2014, Rahul Gandhi has won the Amethi seat, his third time, defeating Smriti Irani.

Gandhi had bagged 46.72% of the total votes, while Irani got 34.39%. However, tables tuned in 2019 when Smriti Irani won the Congress bastion with 49.71% votes, and Gandhi managed 43.86%. Amethi district Congress president Pradeep Singhal says he is confident Rahul Gandhi will again contest from the seat.

And, five years after he lost the family seat to the BJP’s Smriti Irani, Singhal says, “He will win", reports Indian Express. Rahul Gandhi won the seat thrice between 2004 and 2014, and before that it was held by Sonia Gandhi. But what does Amethi say? Indian Express talked to few voters, where the emotion in the Congress bastion seems to be ‘disappointed’ with Congress leaders.

According to the report, a shopkeeper in Gauriganj, who remains a loyal Rahul voter, admits the Congress leader continues to let Amethi drift away. “Even if he doesn’t do much… an MP should be in the constituency often." Another voter said, “Rahul, or for that matter any leader, can’t just file his nomination, wave at the people and vanish. Woh zamana chala gaya (Those times are gone)." This is where Smriti Irani stands to gain chance, as right ahead of the Lok Sabha polls 2024, she registered herself as a voter in Amethi, buying as house in an Amethi village.