New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) BJP leader Smriti Irani on Monday said she was fielded against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi not because she was a woman, but because the party believed only she could defeat him, in a message that it is the ability which matters and not the gender.

Irani's remarks came in reply to a suggestion that the government should consider granting fast-track approval to women real estate developers.

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"I would rather compete... with male developers... I was sent to Amethi not because I am a woman. I was sent to Amethi because I was the only person who could defeat that man (Rahul Gandhi)," Women and Child Development Minister Irani said at a conference organised by realtors' body CREDAI.

Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, a pocket borough of the Nehru-Gandhi family, by about 55,000 votes in the 2019 general election. She had unsuccessfully contested against Gandhi in Amethi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, losing by over one lakh votes.

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The minister recalled that on May 23, 2019 - the day the results for the 17th Lok Sabha elections were announced - she asked the party workers to collect the certificate from Election Commission as she decided to spend the day with her family and also take some rest before pursuing development in Amethi.

The result of the Amethi constituency was declared around midnight.

The BJP leader said that she had requested the party worker not to organise any victory march, but instead reach out to people and find out their problems.

Irani also recalled the 2014 Lok Sabha election when she had unsuccessfully contested against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, where the BJP had never polled more than 30,000 votes.

In 2014, the BJP announced her nomination from Amethi only about three weeks before the polling day.

The minister said in the 22 days in the run-up to the polling day in 2014, she held 32-35 public meetings daily and visited 1,200 of the 1,800 polling booth areas. She got about 3 lakh votes but lost the election to Rahul Gandhi by a margin of about one lakh votes.

The minister said she started working in the constituency immediately after that and won the election in 2019.

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