Smriti Irani Likely To Retain Amethi LS Seat In Close Contest With Congress' KL Sharma, Predicts Exit Poll

Amethi Lok Sabha Exit Polls: Exit poll predicts BJP's Smriti Irani will retain the Amethi Lok Sabha seat in a close contest with Congress candidate KL Sharma, despite the seat being a traditional Gandhi family stronghold.

File Photo of Amethi MP and senior BJP leader Smriti Irani

Source : PTI

Amethi Lok Sabha Exit Polls: BJP's Smriti Irani secured a landmark victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by defeating Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had held the Amethi seat for 15 years. Irani's win by a margin of 55,120 votes marked a significant setback for the Congress, particularly in the north Indian states where the grand old party suffered a heavy electoral defeat. This year, speculation was rife that Rahul Gandhi might seek a rematch against Irani.

The BJP leader openly taunted Rahul Gandhi on multiple occasions, daring him to contest from Amethi. However, Rahul Gandhi opted to contest from Raebareli, another Congress stronghold previously represented by his mother, Sonia Gandhi. Instead, the Congress fielded KL Sharma, a loyalist of the Gandhi family, to contest in Amethi. 

According to exit polls conducted by India Today-Axis My India, Smriti Irani is poised to retain the Amethi Lok Sabha seat. The exit poll, based on a survey of 5.8 lakh interviews across all 543 parliamentary constituencies, indicates a close contest between Smriti Irani and KL Sharma.

Amethi Lok Sabha Seat

Amethi, once a stronghold of the Gandhi family, known as their "karmabhoomi," has seen a shift in political dynamics with the rise of the BJP on the national stage. Narendra Modi's leadership and the BJP's growing influence led to Rahul Gandhi's shock defeat to Smriti Irani in 2019.

Defending its decision to field KL Sharma, the Congress has stated that he has been instrumental in managing the affairs of both the Amethi and Raebareli constituencies in the absence of the Gandhis. The party stated that Sharma has been the key figure in addressing constituency issues for years.

While exit polls provide an indication of potential outcomes, it is important to note that they can sometimes be inaccurate. The final results on June 4 will reveal whether Smriti Irani can secure another term in the closely watched Amethi constituency.