'Amethi Has Chased Him Away': Smriti Irani on Reports of Rahul Gandhi Considering to Contest From South in Lok Sabha Elections 2019
Hitting back at Irani's tweet, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said she was defeated in 2014 by Rahul Gandhi despite leading a high-octane campaign.
New Delhi, March 24: On Congress president Rahul Gandhi considering to contest from a constituency in the South, his BJP rival and Union Minister Smriti Irani took a stinging jibe, saying that the people of Amethi have "chased him away". She further accused the Congress of creating a perception that the Gandhi scion is being "invited" to contest from the three southern states. Narendra Modi May Contest From Bengaluru South Constituency in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections: Reports.
In a social media post, Irani claimed that Amethi has "rejected" Rahul Gandhi, which is forcing him to find a second safe seat in Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Karnataka.
Notably, Iran had unsuccessfully challenged the Congress chief from Amethi in 2014. Although she was defeated, the BJP leader succeeded in reducing Rahul's victory margin from near.y 3.5 lakh votes in 2009 to 1 lakh votes in the last general elections.
Here's What Smriti Irani Said on Twitter:
Hitting back at Irani's tweet, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said she was defeated in 2014 by Rahul Gandhi despite leading a high-octane campaign. She would suffer a similar fate in the upcoming polls, Surjewala claimed.
"You were defeated in Chandni Chowk and in Amethi. Someone who has been rejected by the people has repeatedly found her way to Parliament through the Rajya Sabha, and now you are looking at a hat-trick of defeat in Amethi," he said.
Meanwhile, the Kerala unit of the Congress said the high command has nearly agreed to field Rahul from Wayanad, considered a party stronghold. His candidature would give a boost to the party's electoral campaign in the South, said a senior AICC official.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 24, 2019 05:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).