The Modi wave has successfully stormed Amethi and Raebareli, long-time bastions of the Nehru-Gandhi family, with the Congress on Saturday being routed in eight of the 10 Assembly seats there.
The BJP won six seats in Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice-President Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary constituencies, with another two going to the Samajwadi Party. In what will be an embarrassment to the top echelons of the Congress leadership, the party only managed to eke out two victories in the 10 seats.
The Congress lost in all five seats in Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency of Amethi, and barely saved face by winning in just two of the five seats in Sonia Gandhi’s Raebareli constituency.
The Samajwadi Party and the Congress had forged an alliance for the polls, but outstanding differences ensured that their candidates faced off against each other in some of the seats.
Garima Singh of the BJP, first wife of Congress leader Sanjay Sinh, won in the grand old party’s traditional stronghold of Amethi by close to 5,000 votes. The BJP candidate wrested the seat from absconding SP leader Gayatri Prajapati, and dashed all hopes of victory for the Congress’ Ameeta Singh, Sanjay Sinh’s present wife.
In Battle of the 'Ranis', BJP Wins the Crown
Congress leader and strategist Sanjay Sinh had, during the course of the campaign, expressed disappointment that his ex-wife Garima was ‘washing family laundry in public.’ The animosity between Garima and Sanjay is no state secret. In the past, Garima has alleged that Sanjay’s marriage to Ameeta was illegal, and three years ago had even moved into a portion of the Bhupati Bhawan Palace in Amethi they reside in. The property feud, the family drama, and Sanjay Sinh’s awkwardness in all of it, made Amethi one of the most interesting constituencies this election. And Amethi has clearly picked ‘Rani’ Garima over ‘Rani’ Ameeta.
In second place is absconding SP leader Gayatri Prajapati, who has been booked by the UP Police in an alleged gang rape case and attempt to rape a minor. Prajapati had defeated Ameeta Singh in 2012 by almost 10,000 votes.
Snatching Victory on Gandhi Home Turf
Breaking the Congress’ clout over its ‘family constituencies’ of Amethi and Raebareli, BJP’s successful siege on the Gandhi bastions will make Saturday’s celebratory laddoos that much sweeter for Amit Shah and co. And give the Congress one more reason to introspect before it’s too late.
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