Amethi, April 24 (IANS) Amethi, seen as the Gandhi family's pocket borough, is seething with anger. This Lok Sabha constituency in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh has since 1977 never been as angry with a Gandhi as it is with Rahul, the scion of the family and the incumbent MP. Amethi voted his father Rajiv Gandhi four times (1981 to 1991) and mother Sonia in 1999.
"This time we want to teach Rahul a lesson for ignoring us and taking Amethi for granted," says Sarwar who has been looking for a job for a couple of years. About five young men gathered at the tea shop join him and shout down Taj Mohammad, who tries to counter him. "He supports Rahul because he takes commission to arrange for a handshake with him," alleges Sarwar as they break into a hearty laugh.
Are they going to work to defeat Rahul? "We don't want to see him lose but we will ensure that his vote tally sinks so low that he is shamed into introspection and doing something worthwhile for Amethi, announces Sarwar to a visiting correspondent.
For Rahul Gandhi, a mere win from Amethi, a Congress citadel and the chosen electoral battle ground for his uncle Sanjay, father Rajiv and mother Sonia for decades will be nothing to gloat over. His political reputation depends on the margin with which he can defeat his main opponent, Smriti Irani of the BJP, a well known TV actor turned politician.
"Rahul will get at least 100,000 votes less than what he last polled," predicts an old resident of Amethi who does not want to be named. "I am an old Congress worker from the days of Rajiv. Amethi smelt like chandan (sandalwood) during the Rajiv era. Now it is smelling garbage". In a scathing criticism of Rahul's style of functioning he says: "Rahul has not connected with the people of Amethi. His father was emotionally connected though he stayed in far away Delhi".
Lack of access to Rahul has annoyed the Amethi voter. "He has an office in Munshiganj in the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital. He comes here once in every two to three months and he only meets select party workers and his office in-charge Chandrakant Dubey", says Arif. "A mere wave from a SUV is not enough. He must learn that he is not a king and we his obedient subjects. This feudal manner is unacceptable to the youth."
Rahul's supporters point to the Pilot Training Institute as a development initiative by him. But Amethi is not impressed. The people here say they cannot afford to send their boys there. Instead they need primary schools.
Old timers like Atul Singh, a farmer, are traditional Congress voters and will continue to be so in this election too. But he is also disgruntled. According to him, Amethi, which has alkaline soil, is in urgent need of water. "It is a fact that only 30 of the 100 hand pumps work".
Still, Atul feels Amethi will go with Rahul "because of the love we have for his father. He is will get votes as compensation".
A large chunk of women voters (679,304) and the youth amongst a total of 1.4 million voters are contemplating a shift to the BJP. However, the Muslims who are in a majority in the Amethi constituency, confess they face a dilemma.
"We don't want the BJP to win and we are angry with the Congress. Who should we vote for? Finally it will have to be the Congress," says a resigned Saharuddin.
Sonia Gandhi's plea for votes for her son at an April 19 rally in Nandmehar, her first in 10 years, a road show by Rahul accompanied by sister Priyanka and her husband Robert Vadra have left Amethi cold.
"Priyanka is arrogant and her husband is corrupt. She thinks by sharing a roti (bread) with a poor woman she will impress us," feels Sarwar.
Amethi has been ignored by the family. But it will still stand by it. The people here feel that the Gandhi's have at least made Amethi into a "VVIP constituency" and without their patronage it will disappear into anonymity and sink further into poverty.
Amethi votes May 7 in the penultimate round of the 10-phased Lok Sabha polls that began April 7 and will conclude May 12. The results will be declared May 16.
Besides Rahul Gandhi, others in the fray are Smriti Irani (BJP), Kumar Vishwas (AAP) and Dharmendra Pratap Singh (BSP). The SP did not field a candidate in a tacit understanding with Congress.
In 2009 Rahul Gandhi polled 464,195 votes with 17.78 % of voters. BSP which was second had 14.54% of the vote share.
Pakistan News: 'We want nothing else, just Narendra Modi', video of Pakistani is going viral on social media
The video of a YouTube journalist from Pakistan is becoming increasingly viral on social media these days. In this video, she is asking a Pakistani youth about the recent situation in Pakistan, and
Kejriwal urged to implement schemes for street kids
New Delhi, Feb 15 (IANS) A federation of street and working children has put forth their demands before Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, urging implementation of all government schemes for
Many prisoners were publicly hanged in Russia: It was forbidden to fire on Ukrainian soldiers in the war
Russia's attacks on Ukraine continued for the 322nd day. Meanwhile, in Russia, prisoners who refused to open fire on Ukrainian forces were publicly hanged. Some prisoners said they were sent to the
Defense Purchase Council approves purchase proposals worth Rs 84,328 crore for the armed forces
In a major step towards strengthening the indigenous defense sector, the Defense Ministry has approved requirement approval for 24 capital defense procurement proposals worth Rs 84,328 crore for the
So did the eldest son's rebellious attitude stop Lalu from coming to Patna, speculation intensified after Rabri's sudden return to Delhi
RJD chief Lalu Prasad's program to visit Patna has been postponed. Now he will not be able to campaign in the by-elections. It is being told that his health has worsened once again. So former Chief
Modi's Latest Style: Suit with his own Name Stripes
New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) A close look at Narendra Modi's bandhgala suit that he wore for a joint appearance with US President Barack Obama here, showed it was a customised marvel -- with the prime
Weather Update: Pleasant weather in Delhi-NCR, rain warning in these states, know where the monsoon reached
A slight drop in maximum temperatures was recorded in many parts of North India. The Meteorological Department has said that there is a possibility of getting relief from the scorching heat due to
Covid-19: The epidemic will end in 2022 only if the world accepts this condition of the WHO chief
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has given a big message to the world battling the Corona epidemic so that future diseases and epidemics can be prevented. Putting a
Weather Update: Now there will be severe cold, and there will be heavy rain in these states, how will be the weather of the country today?
Today's Weather Update. The severity of winter is going to increase in North India. At the same time, there is a possibility of rain in many districts of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and
CAA: 'India alliance is not going to come to power', Amit Shah's reply to the opposition on CAA, said - it is difficult to cancel it
The opposition has been continuously cornering the central government since the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). He has accused the government of creating a new vote bank through
