Explained: Of Amethi and Gandhis; Rahul to enter boxing ring once again

Rahul Gandhi has been a three-time Member of Parliament from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, having won in 2004, 2009 and 2014 elections. Amethi is one of the prestigious Lok Sabha constituencies in the country.

Amethi (Uttar Pradesh): After Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai on Thursday said that former party president Rahul Gandhi would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, it is clear that the Gandhi scion is following the footsteps of his parents - former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, who has also headed the grand-old party.

The Amethi Lok Sabha constituency was the fortress of the Congress until it was breached by the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when their candidate Smriti Irani, now a Union Minister in the Narendra Modi-led government, defeated Rahul Gandhi and emerged as a giant-killer.

In 1971, Congress leader Vidya Dhar Bajpai won from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency. Rahul Gandhi's uncle Sanjay Gandhi won the seat on a Congress (I) ticket in 1980. However, from 1980 to 1996, the Congress managed to retain the prestigious seat in national politics.

Rahul's father Rajiv Gandhi won from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency first in the 1984 General elections and then managed to emerge victorious once again in 1989 and the 1991 Lok Sabha polls. Following Rajiv Gandhi's killing in 1991, the Congress riding on a sympathy wave managed to bag the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency in the by-polls, when its candidate Satish Sharma emerged victorious. Sharma also won the seat in the 1996 Lok Sabha polls.

However, the BJP then managed to break Congress citadel in the 1998 polls after its candidate Sanjay Sharma won the prestigious battle. In 1999, Rahul Gandhi's mother Sonia Gandhi won the constituency.

Then Rahul Gandhi came to the fore and secured a hattrick of wins from the constituency, which has been considered a stronghold of his family and party. Rahul Gandhi, who is currently a Member of Parliament from Wayanad constituency in Kerala, won from Amethi in 2004, 2009, and 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

He had once again contested the polls from the same constituency in 2019 but then had to concede defeat to Smriti Irani. Once again the battle lines are drawn with newly appointed Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai making it clear that Rahul Gandhi will once again contest from the Amethi constituency. It remains to be seen whether Rahul Gandhi will emerge triumphant for the fourth successive time or not.