After Priyanka Gandhi, Amethi MP Kishori Lal's Daughter Defends Father's Win

During the Lok Sabha elections, Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma defeated his Bharatiya Janata Party rival and former Union Minister, Smriti Irani, by more than 160,000 votes. Following the announcement of the election results, Anjali Sharma, Kishori Lal Sharma's younger daughter, took to social media to address the vile remarks and slurs levelled against her father with confidence.

Smriti Irani can call my father anything, peon, proxy, servant, ant whatever but numbers are in front of us.

She did acting of Priyanka Gandhi Ji also, that was nice.

Listen to the daughters of Kishori Lal Sharma Ji to understand their culture and manners. 👌🏻 pic.twitter.com/pqE2YCfDJ9

— Shantanu (@shaandelhite) June 5, 2024

In a video that has since gone viral, Anjali emphatically stated, “Call him servant, peon…ant or whatever, we don’t care, the numbers are speaking. You have seen the result, whatever she (Smriti Irani) said against him, the consequence is out… I would also like to highlight that she mimicked Priyanka Gandhi…that was very good, she is a good actor.”

BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh's Controversial Remarks

Notably, the BJP's Raebareli candidate, Dinesh Pratap Singh, ignited controversy by labelling Sharma as "Priyanka's clerk," insinuating a subservient role within the Congress hierarchy. Singh has accused the Congress of harbouring hatred against Amethi-Raebareli, questioning "why they did not field a local leader."

“Gandhi family never gave a Lok Sabha ticket to a person born to a mother from Rae Bareli… MP's representatives have also been brought from outside. Today it is before the people. Could only a person brought from Ludhiana who is Priyanka Gandhi's clerk fight the polls from Amethi? Were there no Congress leaders in Amethi?" he added.

Singh's distasteful remarks, aimed at undermining Sharma's credibility, reflect the intense political rivalries characteristic of Indian electoral campaigns. However, despite Singh's attempts to discredit Sharma, the electorate overwhelmingly endorsed Sharma's candidature, reaffirming their faith  in his leadership.

Congress Resurgence in Amethi

When asked if she had any advice for Irani about her future plans, Anjali declined to reply.  "My father will work for the implementation of the five pillars of justice, as promised in the Congress manifesto," she said.

With Sharma's victory, the Congress has reclaimed Amethi, a key Uttar Pradesh constituency that was considered the party's stronghold until 2019, when Rahul Gandhi lost the seat to Irani. Gandhi represented Amethi from 2004 to 2019. Sharma refused to describe his victory as a "revenge" for Gandhi's 2019 failure. "There is no revenge in politics. It's like sportsmanship: one has to win while the other loses. In an interview with PTI, Sharma stated, "We don't see things in terms of revenge and all."

Irani, in a post on X, reacted to her setback by stating that she had not lost spirit.

“Such is life... A decade of my life going from one village to another, building lives, nurturing hope & aspirations, working on infrastructure ― roads, naali, khadanja, bypass, medical college and more. To those who stood by me through loss and victory, I am forever grateful. To those celebrating today, congratulations. And to those asking, "How's the josh?" I say- it’s still high, Sir.”