Rahul will get huge majority in Amethi

Amethi: Smart, sharp and eloquent, Aradhana Misra doesn't look like a typical Congress leader.

Congress MLA from Rampur Khas in neighbouring Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh, she played a key role in the Congress campaign in Amethi parliamentary constituency, Congress president Rahul Gandhi's home turf in UP.

Daughter of Pramod Tiwari, a record nine-time MLA from Rampur Khas, who is in Lok Sabha fray from Pratapgarh this time, Misra, who is likely to play key role in Congress party in future, strongly feels that Rahul Gandhi will win with huge majority in this elections as "Amethi people have seen true colours of Smriti Iran in last five years".

"Amethi is not a constituency for the Gandhi family. This is their home. For decades, it has been so. Rahulji considers himself as a member of Amethi family. He is definitely going to win with huge majority this time," said 45-year-old Misra, also popularly known as Mona Misra. Amethi went to polls on May 6 (fifth phase), with a voter turnout of around 53 per cent.

Asked why did Rahul's majority come down to a tad over 1 lakh votes last time, she said that Smriti Irani who contested from here for the first time in 2014 created a hype.

"She leveled false allegations against Rahul Gandhi to create a buzz among people that Congress president did not develop his constituency.

She bluffed the people of Amethi with false promises. Some people may have been carried away by her smear campaign. That's the reason why majority has come down ".

An MBA graduate, who devised media strategy for Rahul Gandhi and Congress, she further said that it would be a different scenario this time as falsehoods propagated by BJP and its candidate had been exposed.

"In the past five years, she came to the constituency 17 times only while Rahul Gandhi and other family members - Priyankaji and madam (Sonia Gandhi) - visited the place on a regular basis. Amethi people have seen true colours of Smriti Irani by now.

And they are not going to be bluffed this time," Misra explained. Asked how Rahul Gandhi would win when four out of five MLAs in Amethi Lok Sabha belonged to BJP and fifth one (Gauriganj) to Samajwadi Party, she replied that such dynamics would not work.

"In Lok Sabha elections, they elect a Prime Minister, not Chief Minister. Further, Rahul Gandhi won in the past despite Congress not holding majority MLA seats here," she reasoned, adding that SP-BSP combine had not fielded its candidate here, which would help the Congress.

She rubbished allegations that there was no development in Amethi. "The amount of industrialisation in Amethi is beyond comprehension. I would challenge anyone to debate with Congress on this front," she said.

Replying to a query as to why did Congress commit the strategic blunder of bringing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra just before elections as she would also have to take the blame now if Congress were to fail at the hustings this time, Misra said that all Congress leaders and workers wanted Priyanka's entry into politics.

"There has been protests in Congress demanding entry of Priyankaji into active politics. It's better late than never. She has been working hard. Definitely, there will be a change for better," she explained.

She further added that Gandhi family has dedicated their lives to the party. "Today, credibility of the party is at stake. She can't keep herself aside," she said.

In a surprise move in January this year, Congress president Rahul Gandhi appointed his sister Vadra as general secretary (East), Uttar Pradesh, and entrusted her the task of bringing Congress to power in UP in next Assembly elections.

On the prospects of Congress coming to power in UP in 2022, Misra felt that the year 2022 would belong to Congress. "The way Priyanka Gandhi is working and energising our cadre, the 2022 will be ours definitely," the Congress MLA said.