• 7 months ago
The Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh will be one of the most watched seats in the fifth phase of voting in the ongoing general elections on May 20. The seat was in the headlines due to the uncertainty over who the Congress will field from the constituency against sitting MP and Union minister Smriti Irani. There were speculations that the grand old party may field either Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the constituency against Smriti Irani. Putting all the speculations to rest, the Congress announced Gandhi family loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma as its candidate from the constituency... on the last day of nomination for phase 5. KL Sharma will be faced with stiff opposition from Smriti Irani in Amethi. While Sharma has focused on raking up his and the Gandhi family's connection with the constituency, Irani is questioning the Congress on what it has done for the constituency so far.

Oneindia Team talks to locals in Amethi and know their opinions on this fierce battle. Watch




#LSPolls2024 #AmethiBattle #SmritiVsSharma #LocalsSpeakOut #RahulGandhi #PriyankaGandhi #PMModi #Congress #BJP #INDIAlliance #ElectoralBattle #IndianPolitics #AmethiElections #KLSharma #IraniVsSharma
~HT.178~GR.152~GR.124~CA.145~
Transcript
00:00 Hello there from Amethi, Lok Sabha constituency.
00:03 Now this is the constituency which is gardening all the limelight for all the good reasons,
00:08 bad reasons.
00:09 But as of now we are standing at the iconic Gandhi Chowk in Amethi.
00:14 There is a Gandhi statue and there is a mosque as well right adjacent to that and quite a
00:19 hustling bustling place of Amethi which obviously was formed in 1967 during the delimitation
00:27 of the parliamentary seats.
00:29 The people who are contesting here need no introduction.
00:32 Smriti Irani, the BJP candidate from here, a sitting MP also is pitted against Kishorilal
00:40 Sharma from Congress who was instrumental in the victory of Sonia Gandhi in the year
00:51 of 1999 and since 1983 he has been into active politics and contributing a lot to the success
00:57 of the Congress party.
00:59 Remember Amethi and Raibareli are two twin cities basically which have always been the
01:05 Gandhi's bastion but last year in 2019 we saw how Smriti Irani uprooted Rahul Gandhi
01:13 from here and Rahul Gandhi contested from Wayanad as well.
01:16 This time around Rahul Gandhi is contesting from Raibareli which many say is a safe seat
01:20 for him.
01:21 Needless to say the kind of contest that we are witnessing here is something that is
01:28 being eagerly anticipated and June 4th will be the time when this place would know whether
01:34 Smriti Irani has been able to retain and wrest control of this city or is it the Congress's
01:42 ML Sharma or for that matter the Baujol Swaadwadi party's Nane Singh Chauhan who is representing
01:51 the OBC Nonia community whether he is able to win the requisite number of votes in order
02:00 to get the control of this constituency.
02:03 Interesting times here in Amethi and it's almost half past nine here in the evening
02:09 but the place refuses to fall silent and people still going about their daily job and daily
02:17 affairs and what an activity it is.
02:22 From this Chauraha Chowk itself we saw so many political cavalcades also going through.
02:29 Let's speak to the people here and what they think about it.
02:32 Let's find out from the people of Amethi what kind of atmosphere is going on here and how
02:37 the elections will be held on 20th May.
02:40 So, what is going to be the atmosphere?
02:43 Let's start with you.
02:48 People are here but do you think the voting will be great on 20th May?
02:51 Yes, voting will be great.
02:54 BJP is sitting MP here, Smriti ji.
02:57 What are the expectations from her and what do you think?
03:00 Will she retain?
03:01 Smriti Irani is working hard and she has developed.
03:04 She has developed and that's why people of Amethi will make her a winner.
03:14 As far as Rahul Gandhi is concerned, he left the place for the elections and then he went
03:18 to Rai Bareilly.
03:19 He is still saying that he ran away.
03:20 What is your reaction to that?
03:22 He knew that he won't win from here.
03:26 Smriti Irani has done a good job.
03:34 Earlier, we used to give a lot of protests for electricity and electricity.
03:44 Since the BJP government has come, electricity is getting better.
03:50 When the voting will be done on 20th May, where are you getting the atmosphere?
03:56 We have ordered 200 glasses of lassi.
03:59 Congress is winning from here.
04:02 So, you ordered 200 glasses.
04:04 We have ordered 2000 glasses.
04:07 Very good.
04:10 But what is Congress doing?
04:20 The bypass and the over bridge are all under Congress.
04:24 The ration and all are under Congress.
04:29 BJP won, so they are distributing it.
04:31 So, you won from there.
04:33 Congress will come, so what are the expectations?
04:36 What are the expectations?
04:40 Brother is saying that Congress will come.
04:43 No, no, Congress is an old house.
04:46 So, Rahul Ji didn't fight from here?
04:49 This is his personal matter.
04:51 He is a big Nisha.
04:53 It is his personal matter, but we are doing our duty.
05:00 We have been doing this for 40 years.
05:06 We were doing this since our childhood.
05:08 The bypass and the over bridge are all under Raju Gandhi.
05:13 Did you open a college nearby?
05:15 There is a government college here.
05:18 After that, there is Raja Saheb's college.
05:20 Here is Raja Saheb's engineering college.
05:23 It is private, under Raja Saheb.
05:25 We have young voters with us.
05:26 How are they? Do you vote?
05:27 Yes, this time I will get my first vote.
05:29 You are a first time voter.
05:31 There are a lot of first time voters.
05:33 There are a lot of expectations.
05:35 You will finish college and go for a job.
05:38 You need facilities for higher education.
05:41 Do you think that the government keeps changing, but attention is given to these issues?
05:46 Yes, this time we feel that attention will be given to this issue.
05:49 Because everything is being seen here in the Lok Sabha.
05:55 There are a lot of things happening in Amethi.
05:59 We are studying in Allahabad.
06:01 Things are slowly improving there.
06:05 Uttar Pradesh has a big role in Lok Sabha elections.
06:09 You live in Allahabad, you must be coming from there.
06:12 You pass by Amethi.
06:14 We came from Uchahar, Priyanka ji was there.
06:17 She said that she will give Rs. 1 lakh to everyone.
06:19 Do you think that giving money is enough or something has to be done?
06:23 I feel that money will not do anything.
06:26 Things that can be done by working, cannot be done by giving money.
06:32 Let's talk about the youth of Amethi.
06:37 Let's talk to him too.
06:39 When we talk about development and the issues that are being discussed,
06:45 people choose the government.
06:49 But slowly, as the elections have been held,
06:52 Hindus and Muslims are coming, Pakistan is coming,
06:55 personal differences are also being created.
06:58 What do you think about this?
07:00 We should not see Hindus and Muslims.
07:02 Because we are all one.
07:04 It was nice to hear that.
07:06 Because we all live together, my brothers and sisters.
07:08 We are all one.
07:10 We should not choose Hindus and Muslims.
07:12 Very good. What do you have to say?
07:14 I have nothing to say. Congress will come.
07:17 Congress will come.
07:19 Amethi has changed the city.
07:21 There is a crowd here.
07:23 Right there is a Gandhi statue.
07:25 I am sure when Mahatma Gandhi looks at the changing aspects of democracy here in India,
07:30 especially in Amethi, which has been making headlines since I started understanding elections,
07:36 and many thousands and lakhs of people who have been following politics,
07:40 Amethi and Raipur are two states, I would say, after Bihar,
07:44 that really, really shaped the Indian polity.
07:48 Many prime ministers have come here, especially from the Congress.
07:51 Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi have also been winning from,
07:54 has contested from here.
07:56 And needless to say, the Gandhi family fashion has been quite a sensation here.
08:01 Let's see how the cookie crumbles on 20th of May.
08:06 And 4th of June is when the results will be out.

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