Grand show marks Smriti’s nomination in Amethi
The roadshow and motorcade stretched for kilometers as Smriti covered her nomination run of 1.5 kilometers in three hours
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) put on quite a spectacle in Amethi for Union minister Smriti Irani’s nomination roadshow on Monday, even as the Congress continued to dither on its Amethi pick.
After drastically reducing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s victory margin in 2014, Smriti riding the Modi wave, went on to stun the Congress by winning against Rahul in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and on Monday, as she went to file her nomination papers for the third time, BJP ensured that the roadshow that also featured religious symbolism and bulldozers – to showcase BJP focus on restoring Hindu pride and law and order – was a hit.
With chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who was present for Smriti’s nomination show in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, busy with election rallies and nomination of defence minister Rajnath Singh in Lucknow, the BJP rushed in Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, whose in-laws are currently based in Sultanpur, to rally support among OBCs for Smriti Irani in her re-election bid.
The roadshow and motorcade stretched for kilometers as Smriti covered her nomination run of 1.5 kilometers, that started after an elaborate religious ceremony and prayers, in three hours.
Throughout the nomination roadshow route, there were cut outs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP chief JP Nadda, deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak and the route was inundated with lyrics of the song, ‘jo Ram ko laaye hain, hum unko layenge (we will bring those to power who ensured Ram temple)’.
Smriti, who has already said that she expects “a Gandhi family member” to contest from Amethi, had on the eve of her nomination, visited the Ram temple in Ayodhya and for blessings of the high priests.
Virtually camping in Amethi since being named as the candidate on the high-profile seat, Smriti has often flagged the issue of Congress leaders skipping the January 22 Ram temple inauguration invite, an issue which has also been flagged in other poll campaigns by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CM Yogi Adityanath and others.
In an obvious psychological ploy aimed at playing up the heightened suspense on the Congress pick from Amethi, the Madhya Pradesh CM said: “I don’t think any Congress candidate is coming here to contest.” In 2019, both SP-BSP had not contested the Amethi Lok Sabha polls and this time Amethi is among the 17 Lok Sabha seats it is contesting in UP in alliance with the Samajwadi Party.
Apart from Amethi, the Congress hasn’t named its candidate in adjacent Rae Bareli – the only Lok Sabha seat in UP it won in 2019 – as well, though many Congress leaders admit to the probability of party leader Priyanka Gandhi contesting from the seat.
“It’s a Modi wave everywhere and we are going to cross 400 seats nationally. As for Amethi, having tasted development in 2019, it is going to stay with the BJP now because all these years it got nothing but neglect,” said Mohan Yadav, who was drafted into Irani’s roadshow apparently to woo backwards. Yadav admitted as much.
“I am told that the Yadav community members are present here in big numbers and I want to remind you of Lord Krishna’s pitch thousands of years back to save dharma, and now, after such a long wait, we are blessed to be born in an era to watch Lord Ram in his magnificent abode,” he said.
On her part, Smriti Irani said: “This is the constituency from where I, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have again filed my nomination with a fresh resolve and vision to serve the masses.”
As the nomination roadshow passed through Gauriganj, an altercation between Congress and BJP cadres began. Though it was quickly settled, it did showcase the uneasy relationship that exists between the two parties in Amethi.
Smriti Irani, husband hold over ₹17.55 cr assets: Affidavit
Smriti Irani holds assets worth ₹8.74 crore and her husband ₹8.81 crore, according to the affidavit she filed along with her nomination papers from Amethi parliamentary constituency on Monday. Together, they have assets worth over ₹17.55 crore.
According to the affidavit, Smriti Irani has ₹1.08 lakh cash in hand and her husband ₹3.21 lakh cash. Smriti Irani has jewellery worth ₹37.48 lakh and her husband ₹1.05 lakh.
According to the election affidavit, Smriti Irani’s movable assets amount to ₹3.08 crore and immovable assets ₹5.66 crore. Her husband has immovable assets of ₹3.30 crore and movable assets of ₹5.51 crore, the same affidavit says.