Smriti Irani and Vishwas to challenge Rahul in Amethi

Actor-turned-politician Smriti Irani will be the BJP’s candidate against Rahul Gandhi and apex court lawyer Ajay Aggarwal against Sonia Gandhi, the party announced late on Monday.

Smriti will face the Congress vice-president in Amethi constituency of Uttar Pradesh and Aggarwal will taken on Congress president in Rae Bareli in the Lok Sabha election.

The decisions were taken by Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) central election committee in a meeting late on Monday.

The party also announced candidates for some seats in Tamil Nadu.

Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Kumar Vishwas against Rahul Gandhi.

Smriti said on Tuesday that she will put up the best fight against Rahul and is confident of winning the Lok Sabha election in Amethi.

Speaking to Times Now, she said that irrespective of Amethi being a Gandhi bastion for years, “people have not received the benefits of development in the constituency, which is a national shame”.

Smriti said now the people of Amethi are wondering about the chances of change and development as BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will come to power and the Congress will sit in the opposition.

Reacting to the comments of the Aam Aadmi Party’s candidate from the constituency Kumar Vishwas, Smriti said it will be a fight only between the Congress and the BJP.

“Vishwas has a history of being disrespectful towards women. I do not expect an iota of respect from him,” she said.

Vishwas earlier said the people of Amethi have decided and it did not matter whether a Pakistani, or an Italian or an Irani contests the election. Vishwas said on Tuesday he was confident of defeating Rahul Gandhi despite the BJP’s move to field actor-turned-politician Smriti in Amethi. “I welcome her to the competition in Amethi but her candidature won’t change anything,” a confident Kumar Vishwas said over the telephone.

Kumar Vishwas said as far as he was concerned, “she’s just another candidate” in Amethi, where Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha. The AAP candidate pointed out that he has had a headstart in Amethi, a sprawling and largely rural constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

“I have been going to 30-40 villages every day. I am in a village this moment as well, and I have been here for months.

“If she can come here in 45 degrees heat and talk to people, if she can stay here like I have been staying and discuss the issues of the people, I welcome her candidature.

“But the fact is that Amethi has already decided what it has to do. There is an Aam Aadmi Party wave... ‘Jhadu ki lehar hai in Amethi’.”

The BJP also announced on Monday that it would field Supreme Court lawyer Ajay Aggarwal from Rae Bareli, Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s constituency.

Kumar Vishwas reiterated the AAP charge that the BJP and Congress “give each other a walkover so that ... their leaders win” in elections. “Why did they not field a strong candidate in Rae Bareli as well? This is the proof.”

Kumar Vishwas said that if the BJP really wanted to put up a strong candidate in Amethi, they should have gone for BJP president Rajnath Singh or its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi or Arun Jaitley.

“I had even challenged him (Modi) that if you are so disappointed with the prince (Rahul Gandhi), then why don’t you fight the election from Amethi yourself or pit one of your party stalwarts?”

“The BJP has brought in an ex-actress from Mumbai. They are making a mockery of the people and playing with their emotions. What does she (Smriti) know about Amethi?”

He went on: “Rahul was already an actor, and we have another actor who has come to contest.” — IANS

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