Smriti Irani fielded from Amethi again. All you need to know about the Union Minister

Union Minister Smriti Irani has been fielded form Amethi by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) once again after defeating sitting MP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by about 55,000 votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Amethi, a pocket borough of the Nehru-Gandhi family, was taken over by Irani in the 2019 general election, a remarkable comeback after unsuccessfully contesting against Gandhi in Amethi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, losing by over one lakh votes.

A former textiles minister and presently holding the Ministry of Women and Child Development along with Ministry of Minority Affairs, Irani expressed gratitude to the party for and vowed to maintain the pace of development in the Uttar Pradesh constituency.


"I would like to thank the illustrious Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi, the National President, JP Nadda ji and the respected Home Minister Amit Shah. Hearty thanks.

"In the past years, the double engine government under the leadership of national servant Modi ji has drawn a long line for the all-round development of Amethi. To maintain this pace of development continuously and to make Amethi leading and self-reliant, every Amethi resident and every worker of
@BJP4Amethi is determined with zeal and enthusiasm.

"I have full faith that with the strong public opinion in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of Modi ji, the lotus of good governance, service and poor welfare (lotus) is going to bloom for the third time in the country," she said in post on X.

Post announcing her plan to construct a permanent residence in Amethi in 2019, Irani purchased 11 biswa (1,650 sq yard or 14850 sqft) land in the village of Mawai in Gauriganj Tehsil in 2021 and built a luxurious house, where she has now performed the Griha Pravesh ceremony recently.

Irani and Rahul Gandhi revisited the constituency ahead of the impending Lok Sabha elections. While the BJP leader conducted a Jan Samwad in her area, the Congress leader embarked on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

Not too long ago, the 47-year-old leader, also challenged Rahul Gandhi to contest solely from Amethi in the upcoming elections. She questioned the Congress's stance on Gandhi's potential candidacy. In response, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh deferred to the decision of the Central Election Committee, emphasizing Amethi's significance historically for the party.

Despite the Congress's historical prominence, its electoral prospects in Uttar Pradesh have dwindled. In the 2019 elections, the party secured only one seat in Uttar Pradesh—Rae Bareli, represented by Sonia Gandhi until now. However, Sonia Gandhi announced her decision not to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls due to health and age-related concerns.