Smriti Irani Creates History By Winning Congress Bastion Amethi Lok Sabha Seat; Here's A Look At How The BJP Leader Defeated Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi, May 23: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Amethi, Smriti Irani, created history of sorts after she defeated Congress President Rahul Gandhi from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday, May 23. This is the second time that Irani fought the election from the Amethi seat, a Congress bastion for years. And though she proved to be first time unlucky, her persistent efforts and constant connect with the people of Amethi coupled with Rahul Gandhi's alleged rare appearances contributed to Smriti Irani's victory from the Congress stronghold. Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Results LIVE News Updates.

So where does the story of Smriti Irani, the giant killer, begins? The story goes back to the year 2014, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pursuing its "Congress Mukt Bharat" campaign, decided to field Irani against Rahul Gandhi. In the beginning, very few people gave Smriti Irani even a chance, let alone think of her as a threat to the Gandhi bastion, despite the Narendra Modi wave that gave the BJP unprecedented seats in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi Suffers Embarrassing Loss in Congress Stronghold Amethi Lok Sabha Constituency, Congratulates Smriti Irani For Her Victory.

But Irani did not fare bad at all, and ended up with a little over three lakh votes, which was one lakhs vote less than what Rahul Gandhi had won. Despite Irani's loss, she was rewarded for her efforts and made the Union Human Resource minister (HRD) after the Narendra Modi led BJP came to power. Amethi Lok Sabha Constituency in Uttar Pradesh Live Results 2019: Leading Candidates From The Seat, 2014 Winning MP And More.

But Smriti Irani's tryst with Amethi continued as the leader kept visiting Amethi even after her loss. And in the real sense, it was these visits and the minister's gift of gab and ability to connect with masses, that made her a formidable force to reckon.

The first signs of nervousness came from the Gandhi family when Rahul Gandhi decided to fight from two constituencies, one from Amethi in North, and another from Wayanad in the South. The BJP and Smriti Irani cried that Rahul had actually "ran-away" from the Amethi constituency.

The Congress called it rubbish and termed Rahul's decision as "North-South" linking. But as the initial trends became clear, the writing was on the wall proved true and Rahul Gandhi in a press conference conceded defeat, congratulating Smriti Irani with the advice to "take care of Amethi." It was the moment Smriti had been waiting for more than five years. And now she has her answer for all the critics.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2019 10:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).