Months of speculations ended on Friday after Congress announced candidates from its two traditional seats in Uttar Pradesh – Amethi and Rae Bareli. The Gandhi scion has picked the latter, while the party had decided to field loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi constituency.
Amethi has been a Congress stronghold for decades but that reign ended dramatically when Rahul Gandhi lost it to Bharatiya Janata Party’s Smriti Irani by a huge margin of 55,000 votes. Now, in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the big fight will be between Sharma and Irani.
But who is Kishori Lal Sharma?
1. Kishori Lal Sharma hails from Punjab’s Ludhiana and has close ties with the Gandhi family for over four decades.
2. After the death of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, Sharma’s bond with the Gandhi family became stronger. He has been working for the party not only in Uttar Pradesh but also managed work in Bihar and Punjab.
3. Sharma first came to Amethi in 1983 and has been working closely in the constituency. It is believed that it was because of Sharma that Sonia Gandhi won her maiden elections in 1999. He frequently travelled to Amethi and Rae Bareli and even accompanied Sonia Gandhi when she visited the constituency for the first time.
4. After Sonia Gandhi left her Amethi seat for her son Rahul in 2004 and moved to Rae Bareli, Kishori’s role in Congress became more pivotal. It is said that he took charge of both the Congress bastions in Uttar Pradesh.
5. Sharma, who looked after Congress even in the absence of Gandhis, will file his nomination along with Rahul Gandhi on Friday, the last date for the filing papers for the seats.
6. This year, Congress will contest 17 of Uttar Pradesh’s 80 Lok Sabha seats, with the remaining 63 going to INDIA bloc ally Samajwadi Party and regional outfits. Amethi and Rae Bareli will go to polls on 20 May in the fifth round of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections.
With inputs from agencies
