The Congress has brushed off the speculation of Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra contesting the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, saying that the decision on the party’s candidate will be announced soon. The BJP has fielded the winner of the 2019 elections, Smriti Irani, from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, a bastion of the Gandhi family till 2014. The Congress is yet to name a candidate from the constituency, with several names like those of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Robert Vadra, and Ajay Rai doing the rounds as the probables. However, there is no confirmation yet.
On Wednesday, posters hailing Robert Vadra as the Congress candidate from the seat came up outside the Congress office in Gauriganj, Amethi. Reacting to the development, Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput told news agency IANS: “The BJP makes such posters an issue. Robert Vadra is not in politics but every person has his supporters. The decision on who will be fielded by the Congress from Amethi will be taken soon.”
Lucknow: Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput on the posters of Robert Vadra being put up in Amethi, says, “BJP people make such posters a main issue, but every person has supporters, and Robert Vadra is not in politics, and the decision of who will come from Congress for Amethi… pic.twitter.com/zLVpVEHMyB
— IANS (@ians_india) April 24, 2024
Earlier, Smriti Irani, while speaking at a public meeting, hinted that Robert Vadra was pushing for a Congress ticket from Amethi.
Amethi is slated to vote in Phase 5 of the Lok Sabha elections on May 20. The nomination filing deadline for Lok Sabha elections Phase 5 is May 3.
Modi Is BJP’s Prachaar Mantri: Congress
Surendra Rajput also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of violating the Model Code of Conduct imposed by the Election Commission of India. He said: “Modi is not India’s Pradhaan Mantri (Prime Minister). He is BJP’s prachaar mantri (publicity minister). The EC must register a hate-speech case against PM Modi and ban his poll campaigning for openly violating the Model Code of Conduct by propagating Hindu-Muslim politics.”
Rajput further took a dig at the PM, saying: “These people mock the mangalsutra because they don’t know the value of a family, they don’t know how to maintain a family. They must learn to respect the mangalsutra.”
