Lok Sabha Election 2019: Curtains drawn in Amethi
Tough fight by Smriti Irani in 2014 prompted Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad as well
An estimated 57.93 per cent voter turnout was recorded in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, of the crucial State of Uttar Pradesh, which went to polls on Monday in the fifth phase.
The Lok Sabha constituencies of UP which went to polls in the fifth phase are: Amethi, Rae Bareli, Lucknow, Barabanki, Faizabad, Dhaurahra, Sitapur, Mohanlalganj, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Bahraich, Kaiserganj and Gonda.
The polling was largely peaceful. According to Election Commission sources Amethi has recorded 53.48 per cent polling, while Rae Bareli has recorded 53.60 per cent polling. Lucknow, Barabanki and Faizabad have recorded turnouts of 54.29 per cent, 63.82 per cent and 61.02 per cent respectively.
The fight in Amethi, where Congress president Rahul Gandhi is pitted against Union Minister Smriti Irani, is the most intriguing.
Interestingly, Congress president and sitting Amethi MP did not visit the constituency in the crucial polling day. Rahul was supposed to reach Fursatganj Airfield of Amethi in the afternoon, but there was a last minute change in his schedule for which he had to cancel the trip, sources in the Congress informed. “In fact, his election rally in Haryan’s Bhiwani ended late and he had to attend his scheduled roadshow in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk,” Congress sources informed.
This has given ammunition to BJP candidate Smriti Irani to hit out at the Congress president. “On the polling day, the Congress president chose to go missing in Amethi. By doing so, he has truly proved that he is an absentee MP. I am sure the voters of Amethi will give a fitting riposte,” she said.
Irani has also alleged that the Congress president was “ensuring booth capturing” in the constituency. “Alert @ECISVEEP Congress President @Rahul Gandhi ensuring booth capturing,” Irani tweeted.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Lucknow, was among the early voters. Singh cast his vote in the polling booth 333 in Scholars’ Home School, Lucknow. “The Mahagatbandhan is no challenge for BJP here,” he said. SP’s Poonam Sinha and Congress’ Acharya Pramod are pitted against Singh.
RAHUL WAS MISSING
Interestingly, Congress president and sitting Amethi MP did not visit the constituency in the crucial polling day. Rahul was supposed to reach Fursatganj Airfield of Amethi in the afternoon, but there was a last minute change in his schedule for which he had to cancel the trip, sources in the Congress informed.