Vehicles vandalised outside Amethi Congress office, party accuses BJP

Lok Sabha Polls: Congress has fielded KL Sharma from the Amethi seat against the incumbent MP Smriti Irani. Rahul Gandhi will be contesting from Raebareli

Ahead of upcoming voting in Amethi on May 20 in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the Congress on Sunday night said that multiple vehicles parked outside its office were reportedly vandalised. The national party alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) involvement in the incident.

In a statement on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), the Congress accused Smriti Irani and BJP supporters of 'being scared' ahead of the upcoming polling in Amethi.

"Smriti Irani and BJP workers are badly scared in Amethi, UP. Frustrated by the defeat they saw, BJP goons armed with sticks and rods reached outside the Congress office in Amethi and vandalised vehicles parked there. There has been a deadly attack on Congress workers and people of Amethi. Many people are badly injured in this attack. During the incident, vehicles of local people were also damaged. The police administration remained a mute spectator during the entire incident. This incident is a witness that BJP is going to lose badly in Amethi," the party wrote in a post.

The miscreants reportedly fled after creating a ruckus, triggering a protest by party workers.

Congress District President Pradeep Singal rushed to the party office soon after the incident, and a heavy police force also reached there and tried to pacify the protesting party workers, according to reports.

The police said they would investigate and take action against those responsible for the incident.

Elections are being held in all seven phases in Uttar Pradesh, which contributes the largest number of seats (80) to the Lower House. 16 seats were contested in the initial two phases. Meanwhile Amethi will go to polls on May 20 in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate accused the police of remaining inactive while BJP supporters engaged in unruly behaviour. "Vehicles parked outside the Congress office in Amethi were vandalised. The police remained a silent spectator and the BJP workers continued with their hooliganism. The wind has changed, breaking vehicles will not solve the problem, BJP people!," she said.

Smriti Irani vs KL Sharma in Amethi

In the electoral context, Smriti Irani's victory over Rahul Gandhi in Amethi by a margin of 55,000 votes in the previous election marked the end of the Gandhi family's long-standing dominance in the constituency.

Between 2014 and 2019, Congress's representation in Uttar Pradesh decreased from two seats to one, with Amethi being lost in the process.

In the current election cycle, Rahul Gandhi aims to defend the sole remaining seat held by his family in the state in Raebareli, while long-time party loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma will take on Smriti Irani.

Who is Kishori Lal Sharma, Congress' Amethi candidate?

Kishori Lal Sharma, closely associated with the Gandhi family, was nominated for the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency by the Congress on Friday. His candidacy coincides with Rahul Gandhi's nomination filing from Raebareli on Friday, the traditional Congress stronghold. The Gandhi family's influence in Amethi has waned since Rahul Gandhi's defeat in 2019, prompting Sharma's candidacy as an effort to regain a foothold in the region.

The last non-Gandhi Congress candidate in Amethi was Satish Sharma, who secured victory twice following the seat's vacancy after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Satish Sharma's tenure ended in defeat in 1998, after which the Gandhis reclaimed control of Amethi from 1999 onward.