Mid-Day spent two days in Amethi and Raebareli, the strongholds of the Congress party, to gauge the mood of the voters ahead of the polls today. The politically high-profile constituencies present contrasting voter sentiments. In Amethi, voters appear divided between the current MP, Smriti Irani, and Congress loyalist K L Sharma. Conversely, Raebareli shows a clear wave of support for Rahul Gandhi.

Some voters in Amethi feel that the district’s profile has diminished because Rahul Gandhi is not contesting from there. While there is a historical connection with the Gandhi family dating back to Rajiv Gandhi’s era, some believe Smriti Irani should be given a second term to complete her work. However, there is also dissatisfaction among voters regarding Irani’s unfulfilled promise to provide sugar at Rs 13/kg in 2019.

Additionally, some voters believe that development in Amethi has stalled due to the high-profile candidates contesting from there. They feel that while politicians make grand promises, they often fail to deliver, and Amethi has not received the attention it deserves despite its prominent representation. Amethi should be known for its development works instead of its high-profile candidates.

BJP candidate Smiriti Irani at an event in Amethi

Hausla Prasad Sharma, a 50-year-old arts graduate, lost his job during the lockdown. He used to earn Rs 32,000 per month and now drives an auto-rickshaw for his livelihood. “COVID-19 has destroyed so many lives, and I am one of those affected. The government in UP and at the Centre didn’t do anything to help. The unemployment in UP, paper leaks and stray cattle are the biggest issues in entire UP. 

Amethi gave the BJP a chance by moving away from Congress and defeating a candidate like Rahul Gandhi to send a message that performance matters over family legacy. However, the BJP candidate, Smriti Irani, also failed to deliver. I sense that people in Amethi are now shifting back to Congress by a large margin.”

A shopkeeper near the Congress office in Amethi, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “Amethi bears the burden of big politicians. It is known only for their names, but it should be known for their work. Despite having high-profile leaders, no significant work is done. The people of Amethi now want development rather than high-profile candidates. We hope that K L Sharma, who is not high-profile, will bring changes to Amethi, and we may consider giving him a chance.”

Ram Bharose, 70, a former Pradhan of a village in Amethi, met with mid-day at a tea stall. He has known Amethi since the era of Indira Gandhi and claims that Amethi has changed a lot. “During Rajiv Gandhi’s era, we had VIP status. Whenever we visited Delhi, there was no queue for the people of Amethi; we could meet Rajiv Gandhi directly. Despite all this, we chose change in 2019. Smriti Irani has done some good work, particularly with the roads, but I think the atmosphere now favours Rahul Gandhi. Had he been contesting from Amethi, he would have won by a huge margin. However, with K L Sharma as the candidate, people are confused.”

Another voter from Amethi’s Gauriganj area, Shiv Prasad, who runs a tea shop, said, “In five years, we have not seen our MP. There are several issues in Amethi… the stray cattle are the biggest problem. We are unable to farm, and acres of land remain unused due to the stray cattle, but the government is neglecting this issue because of their political agenda. This is going to cost them big in UP and Amethi. Rahul Gandhi, who lost Amethi in 2019, also forgot the people here and rarely visited after his defeat. However, people might vote for him again because of their old connection with his father.”

Another voter Shivdarshan, from Amethi, said, “The people voted in the name of PM Modi and again we may vote in his name but the candidates are not doing any work. We are still waiting to get sugar at Rs 13 per kg… only false promises were made to us.”

A Muslim voter from Amethi claimed that the current MP, Smriti Irani, never visited the Muslim areas in Amethi and that they were neglected. “We also voted for her, but she didn’t come to meet us after winning. The BJP people make hateful statements against us instead of focusing on real issues. The stray cattle are troubling not only Muslims but the whole of UP. Farmers can’t do anything, and the youth don’t have jobs. We are going to vote wisely this time.”

Similarly, the adjacent Lok Sabha seat to Amethi is Raebareli, where Rahul Gandhi is contesting after his mother, Sonia Gandhi, vacated the seat for him and moved to the Rajya Sabha. Sonia Gandhi was the MP from 2004 to 2019, and Indira Gandhi also represented the same seat. Raebareli is known as a stronghold of the Congress party. The voters in Raebareli seem very excited since Rahul Gandhi’s candidacy was announced. They believe that the next prime minister will be from Raebareli.

“There is no fight… Rahul Gandhi is winning the seat with a huge margin. The people of Raebareli always vote for Congress, even during their worst in 2014 and 2019. Now Rahul is fighting so the results clearly will be in his favour. I don’t understand why Priyanka Gandhi is spending so much time in Raebareli. She should focus on some other seats,” said Ram Marak, a shopkeeper in Raebareli.

Another voter from Raebareli, Dev Sarak, said that the current UP government led by Yogi Adityanath is doing great work in the state, but issues like stray cattle, unemployment, and paper leaks are going to cause significant damage. “Raebareli has always remained a Congress bastion, and since Rahul Gandhi is contesting, no one else is in the race,” he added.

Voices

Hausla Prasad Sharma
‘The unemployment in UP, paper leaks and stray cattle are the biggest issues in entire UP. Amethi gave the BJP a chance by moving away from Congress and defeating a candidate like Rahul Gandhi to send a message that performance matters over family legacy. However, the BJP candidate, Smriti Irani, also failed to deliver. I sense that people in Amethi are now shifting back to Congress by a large margin’

Ram Bharose
‘During Rajiv Gandhi’s era, we had VIP status. Whenever we visited Delhi, there was no queue for the people of Amethi; we could meet Rajiv Gandhi directly. Despite all this, we chose change in 2019. Smriti Irani has done some good work, particularly with the roads, but I think the atmosphere now favours Rahul Gandhi’

Shiv Prasad
‘In five years, we have not seen our MP. There are several issues in Amethi; the stray cattle are the biggest problem. We are unable to farm, and acres of land remain unused due to the stray cattle, but the government is neglecting this issue because of their political agenda. This is going to cost them big in UP and Amethi’

Ram Marak
‘There is no fight… Rahul Gandhi is winning the seat with a huge margin. The people of Raebareli always vote for Congress, even during their worst in 2014 and 2019. Now Rahul is fighting so the results clearly will be in his favour. I don’t understand why Priyanka Gandhi is spending so much time in Raebareli. She should focus on some other seats’

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