Who is KL Sharma, the Congress candidate from Amethi, and can he effectively rival Smriti in the competition?
Hash#ag Bureau 03 May,2024
Disregarding all rumors, Congress unveiled its choice for the Amethi seat on Friday. Kishori Lal Sharma has been nominated in lieu of Rahul Gandhi. This raises the question: why was the Amethi stronghold, traditionally associated with the Gandhi family, assigned to another candidate? Additionally, who exactly is Kishori Lal Sharma, the individual upon whom the Congress Party and the Gandhi family have placed their confidence?
Kishori Lal Sharma alias KL Sharma is considered special in the Gandhi family. He has been a very close associate of the Gandhi family. He has been associated with the party for more than four decades.
Sharma’s connection with Amethi spans nearly four decades, despite his Ludhiana, Punjab origins. Kishori Lal Sharma’s initial foray into Rae Bareli and Amethi dates back to 1983, alongside Rajiv Gandhi, father of Rahul Gandhi. He purportedly shared a close bond with Rajiv Gandhi, which deepened over time. Following Rajiv Gandhi’s demise in May 1991, his ties with the Gandhi family reportedly evolved into a more familial relationship. Allegedly, even in Rajiv Gandhi’s absence, Sharma remained active in these constituencies, continuing his work.
According to media reports, KL Sharma played an important role in Sonia Gandhi’s first victory from Amethi in 1999. When Sonia Gandhi entered politics and visited this constituency for the first time, he also accompanied her to Amethi.
Voting will be held in Amethi and Rae Bareli on May 20 in the fifth round of the seven-phase general elections. Now Union Minister Smriti Irani will be from BJP against KL Sharma in Amethi. So the question is, how much competition will Sharma be able to give to Irani? It is said that he has a good hold on Amethi region as he has managed it for the party for four decades. He knows the entire area well, and has good relations with the people. He will also get the benefit of being close to the Gandhi family.
But Smriti Irani also cannot be underestimated. Amethi seat, once the stronghold of the Gandhi family, was won by BJP in the 2019 elections. Smriti Irani won by a margin of about 50 thousand votes. Smriti Irani got 49.71 percent votes. In 2019, Rahul Gandhi got more votes than in 2014, but he lost. While in 2014, Rahul got 4 lakh eight thousand votes, in 2019 he got 4 lakh 13 thousand votes. In the 2014 elections, Smriti Irani lost to Rahul Gandhi by more than one lakh votes.