UP: What did Kishori Lal Sharma say after scoring win over Smriti Irani in Amethi

After defeating Union Minister Smriti Irani in the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma has termed it a victory of the people.

Kishori Lal Sharma told media, "This is a victory of the people. Winning and losing are part of contesting. One loses and the other wins."

He claimed that he had gone to Amethi with local issues and contested the election on the failures of the BJP manifesto.

Kishori Lal Sharma claimed that the victory was achieved because of contesting the election on local issues.

Sharma has defeated Union Minister Smriti Irani from Amethi Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 1 lakh 25 thousand votes.

Sharma, a longtime loyalist of Gandhi family chosen by the Congress to run in Amethi, became the first non-Gandhi candidate from the party to contest the seat in 25 years. He expressed gratitude towards the Gandhi family for endorsing his candidacy and standing by him, as well as to the local community for electing him. 

'I plan to convene a meeting with the locals to identify key issues'

"I am thankful to the Gandhi family for considering my candidature from Amethi and for supporting me against all odds. I also thank the people of Amethi, who voted for me. I will try my best to meet their expectations. I am happy that by choosing me, people rectified their 2019 mistake," Sharma shared with the media.

"I plan to convene a meeting with the locals to identify key issues that need immediate attention. This includes addressing the challenges posed by stray animals, resolving longstanding local concerns, and devising strategies to create employment opportunities for the youth in the region," Sharma stated.

'A response to those who belittled me with the peon remark'

Sharma also viewed his victory as a response to those who belittled him with the "peon" remark when he was announced as the Congress candidate for Amethi. This remark was directed at him by BJP's Raebareli candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh. Singh, who referred to Sharma as a "peon of the Gandhi family," faced defeat in the election to Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi by a significant margin of over 390,000 votes.

Coming from Ludhiana district in Punjab, Sharma has deep ties with both the Gandhi family and the residents of Amethi. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra shared her congratulations on social media, saying, "Kishori Bhaiya, I never had any doubts. I was sure from the beginning that you would win. Hearty congratulations to you and my dear brothers and sisters of Amethi."

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Smriti Irani defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a margin of about 55 thousand votes.

This was the first time since 1999 that no member of the Gandhi family was contesting from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat.

Rahul Gandhi has been an MP from Amethi from 2004 to 2019.

But this time Rahul Gandhi contested the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli instead of Amethi and he has managed to win by a margin of more than four lakh votes.

Apart from Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi has also been elected MP from Wayanad seat of Kerala.