Amethi is family, party workers upbeat: Amethi Cong unit on Rahul's Kerala move

Amethi is family for Rahul Gandhi, the Congress unit in the Uttar Pradesh district Sunday said after it was announced that the party president will contest the Lok Sabha polls from Kerala's Wayanad also.

Gandhi has been thrice elected the member of parliament from Amethi, considered the Congress bastion in 2004, 2009 and 2014.

"He has decided to fight from Wayanad in Kerala in keeping with the demand and emotions of the party workers. Amethi is family and a family is forever," Congress's Amethi unit president Yogendra Mishra told PTI over the phone.

Asked about the reduced vote margin in 2014 when the BJP had fielded Smriti Irani from the seat, Mishra said last time it was a "parade of lies" across the country and exuded confidence that this time Gandhi will win by a margin of over five lakh votes.

"This time he is going to win by over five lakh votes. Last time (in 2014 Lok Sabha election), it was a different atmosphere in the country. 'Jhooth ki parade chal rahi thi us baar '(There was a parade of lies in 2014) across the country which is why the victory margin had reduced," he claimed.

Mishra said the decision of Gandhi to contest from Wayanad has no adverse impact in Amethi and party workers are upbeat about his poll prospects.

"Our morale is high and we are going across every nook and corner. Rahul ji will be coming here to file his nomination soon address party workers," he said.

In Amethi, Gandhi had secured 4.64 lakh out of 6.46 lakh votes in the 2009 Lok Sabha election, while in 2014 he won 4.08 lakh out of 8.74 lakh votes. BJP's Irani had finished second with a little over three lakh votes in 2014.