Smriti Irani Keeps Her Promise Of A House In Amethi As Sonia Gandhi Exits Raebareli: Grand 'Grih Pravesh' On 22 February

With Congress leader Sonia Gandhi announcing exit from her Rae Bareli parliamentary seat, BJP MP and Union Minister Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, is gearing up to solidify her local presence.

Irani has constructed a new home in Gauriganj and is hosting a grand housewarming ceremony ("Grih Pravesh") on 22 February.

The event, for which some 25,000 guests including local legislators across party lines have been invited, carries political weight amidst Rahul Gandhi's ongoing "Nyay Yatra" campaign scheduled to reach Amethi on 19 February.

The 15,000-square-foot single-story house is situated nearly two kilometeres away from the local BJP office on Sultanpur Road.

“Irani has fulfilled the promise (of making a house in Amethi and settling as a local resident) she made to the people of Amethi in the 2014 LS elections,” BJP’s Amethi spokesperson Govind Chauhan was quoted as saying in a Times of India report.

Irani had though lost the 2014 polls but kept coming back to the constituency which she eventually won in 2019.

Earlier, Irani was operating from a house that she had taken on rent in 2019. The residence currently functions as a camp office from where Irani coordinates at the local level.

Both Irani and Gandhi will be in Amethi on February 19th, highlighting the battle for political support.

Irani will participate in the BJP's "Gram Chaupal" campaign, aiming to deepen party connections, while Gandhi's "Nyay Yatra" focuses on nationwide outreach.

This comes as Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on Thursday (16 February) announced that she will not be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Raebareli due to health and age issues.

Gandhi's announcement came a day after she filed nomination papers for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls from Rajasthan.

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