Soon after the early leads started coming in today, Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s battle to retain the Amethi seats is getting tougher to impossible, as believed by political experts. Amethi, a majorly rural Lok Sabha constituency in Avadh region of Uttar Pradesh in North India, which is the constituency of Rahul since 2004 seems to have changed its support and has voted for BJP candidate Smriti Irani who is leading with a significant margin and managed to slow down Rahul by majorly reducing his previous margin. She is reportedly leading with more than 43,000 votes as Rahul Gandhi trails with 38,615 votes.
Rahul Gandhi is also contesting from Wayanad in Kerala, where he has been leading since morning. However, Amethi is considered as an eye candy seat and one of the most highlighting one. Smriti Irani left no stone unturned to campaign aggressively there; in 2014, she had contested and lost to Rahul Gandhi although managed to cut down RaGa’s margin even in the previous general election. Throughout the last five years, she continued being in touch with the people there. She had also always accused the Amethi MP Rahul of neglecting his own constituency. However, the stark contrast in campaigning aggression became evident with Rahul visiting the constituency only once before filing his nomination papers. Being divided between the two constituencies — Wayanad and Amethi — and campaigning in various campaigns across the country, Rahul’s presence this time was weaker in Amethi as compared to the super-active Irani. Although his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited and campaigned in Amethi several times; Sonia Gandhi too was seen actively campaigning in Raebareli. Experts believe that the probable loss in Amethi for Congress will cost the party and the prospects of its president too. Will the set back in Congress’s old bastion mark the end of Rahul Gandhi’s political career?
