By Pradeep Kapoor
LUCKNOW: All eyes are now focused on Rae Bareli and Amethi Lok Sabha constituencies going to poll with 12 others including Lucknow on May 20. Rae Bareli assumed importance since Rahul Gandhi is contesting against Dinesh Pratap Singh of BJP after lot of uncertainty.
Ever since Mrs Sonia Gandhi decided to opt for Rajya Sabha on health grounds, the political circles and media were debating whether Rahul or Priyanka will contest from Rae Bareli or Amethi. Rahul Gandhi surprised everybody after the polling for his constituency Wayanad in Kerala that he would contest in Rae Bareli and KL Sharma who had been very close to Gandhi family will take on Union Minister Smriti Irani at Amethi where Rahul got defeated in 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Taking the elections in Rae Bareli and Amethi very seriously, Congress Party deputed former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel of Chattisgarh to Rae Bareli and former chief minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot to Amethi. With these developments ,Union Minister Smriti Irani and BJP appear to be in trouble as it is no longer a safe fight for BJP as the leaders thought earlier.
The experience of being in the constituency for more than 40 years goes in favour of Congress Party’s KL Sharma in Amethi. Priyanka Gandhi too has taken election in two constituencies very seriously. She is camping with her team to reach out to every village. Priyanka is working very hard with her own style of campaigning to take back Amethi from Smriti Irani.
In Rae Bareli local people are reminded about the old links with Gandhi family when husband of Indira Gandhi, Feroze Gandhi got elected from here. Since then Indira Gandhi, Mrs Sheila Kaul, Mrs Sonia Gandhi got elected from Rae Bareli. Capt. Satish Sharma very close friend Rajiv Gandhi was also elected from Rae Bareli.
In state capital Lucknow everybody is convinced about victory of sitting MP and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The only question is about the margin. BJP and supporters of Rajnath Singh have set the target of victory margin around five lakh votes. There is no doubt that the family members of Rajnath Singh and local BJP leaders with the help of other frontal organisations of the Sangh Parivar did a commendable job to meet the voters. Samajwadi Party has put up sitting MLA Ravi Das Mehrotra to challenge Rajnath Singh.
Lucknow has always been safe seat for BJP ever since Atal Behari BJP returned to this constituency in 1991 Lok Sabha elections After Vajpayee ,his close associate Lalji Tandon also got elected in 2009.
The oldtimers in Lucknow still remember 1967 Lok Sabha polls when journalists and intellectuals sitting in coffee house fielded Justice Anand Narain Mulla as independent candidate against top industrialist and Congress candidate VR Mohan.
Justice Anand Naran Mulla who was a great Urdu scholar became the voice of common man and defeated VR Mohan. So much so Bollywood actor Balraj Shahi came to Lucknow to campaign for Justice Anand Narain Mulla. (IPA Service)
