Smriti props up ‘labharthis’, local connect to woo voters | India News

‘Amethi ki janata ne 2019 mein ek naya itihas racha tha. Is baar usi itihas ko dohrana hai (People of Amethi had scripted history in 2019. It is time to repeat it)’. This is how Union minister and BJP’s candidate from Amethi Lok Sabha constituency Smriti Irani reminds voters how they helped her push Rahul Gandhi out of the Congress turf.
For the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Irani got a psychological edge when the Bharatiya Janata Party named her in the first list as its candidate from Lok Sabha constituency, prompting her to roll out her poll campaign even before the election schedule could be announced.
Losing no time, in Feb, Irani performed ‘grih pravesh’ of her house that she got constructed in Amethi and swiftly went into election mode, often daring Rahul to contest from Amethi. The Congress, however, maintained the suspense till the eleventh hour to name Kishori Lal Sharma, man Friday of Sonia Gandhi, as its candidate from Amethi.
According to her associates, Irani meticulously draws her daily campaign plan and makes it a point to remain punctual. “She plans everything minutely – whom she will meet at home, office or on the field, and the places she will visit throughout the day,” a close aide says.
“Interaction with cadres and her teams is the first thing with which she starts her day. She then meets journalists for interviews and heads to the field to attend public meetings, ‘nukkad sabhas’, and mass contact programmes,” he adds.
Banking largely on the achievements and welfare schemes of the double engine govt, Smriti props up ‘labharthis’ (beneficiaries) while promising that those left out will get benefits in the next term. Aware of the fact that women voters hold the key to BJP’s prospects, the sitting MP goes an extra mile to connect with them at different levels.
In the beginning of May, she participated in a local religious programme known as ‘Dukh duraiyan’ in which women pray to a goddess to remove all obstacles ahead of a key event.
“Women in Awadh region have deep faith in this ritual and as their woman MP, Smriti Irani respected the desire of the local women to join them in the puja,” says Raj Lakshmi Tripathi of Vashishtha Peeth who led the ceremony. During her door-to-door campaign and ‘padyatras’ she makes a point to bond with women. In one such meeting at Anaaj Mandi trisection, she urges women to vote for BJP for a brighter and self-reliant future.
Welcomed by residents with flowers, Smriti stops for interaction with them and reinforces her attack on the opponents. She reiterates that “fearing a repeat of 2019, the Gandhis have fled from Amethi and fielded a ‘nobody’ instead”.
She gently reminds people how she helped Amethi get rid of the perennial problem of traffic jams by accelerating the flyover project. She also says that the bridge over Sai river made the people’s life easier.
Irani also surprises voters by taking a scooter ride in the constituency. Recently, she decided to stop by at an eating joint.
Locals say that they are enjoying the attention they are getting from their MP during election season. Some of them believe that the election would be a cakewalk for Irani while others feel that Congress’s Kishori Lal Sharma may pose a tough challenge to her. Others who maintain a neutral stance believe the prospects of both the parties are fluctuating and the result could go in favour of either of the two parties.