Many smoke signs later, Kishori Lal Sharma is the Congress candidate from Amethi and everyone wants to know why.
Sharma is one of the most recognizable faces in both Rae Bareli and Amethi- the Gandhi family’s traditional strongholds. Since 1983, when he first visited the constituencies with the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Sharma has never let his connection with the constituents weaken. After Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, Sharma transitioned from being just a party member to a member of the family’s most trusted inner circle. It was he who was by Sonia Gandhi’s side when she visited Amethi to start her political innings, post her husband’s death.
A native of Ludhiana, Punjab, Sharma was the point person for the party when the seat was held by Captain Satish Sharma immediately after Rajiv Gandhi’s death. And, even Rae Bareli when the seat was won by Shiela Kaul.
An easily accessible, soft-spoken person, Sharma has been de-facto representative for the MPs in both constituencies- taking messages from the electorate to their MP, getting complaints resolved, delivering letters and helping people in times of need.
His strong local presence works in his favour. For an electorate which delivered one of the strongest surprises of the 2019 polls-when Smriti Irani wrestled the seat from Rahul Gandhi-one of the big factors in its choice was that Irani was visible and available. Even though she had lost the previous Lok Sabha election from Amethi, she never stopped coming to the constituency. And it is this visibility that people chose over a more emotional connection with the Gandhi family.
Priyanka Gandhi’s husband Robert Vadra had been angling for a ticket from one of the seats. But, with the number of probes against him, the party cannot risk fielding him and delivering a straight win to the BJP.
Five years of Irani as an MP have led to both good and bad experiences for the electorate with her. Will anti-incumbency come into play? Will Amethi’s electorate consider its local issues over the national narrative? Also, will Amethi’s electorate choose the available and accessible Sharma, in an effort not to rupture all ties with the Gandhis?
Like Irani, who was an outsider who made space for herself in Amethi, Sharma is also an outsider, but, he has been making his space for more than 40 years, and that could just count for something.