In a stunning political upset, Congressman Kishori Lal Sharma, defeated Bharatiya Janata Party’s Union Minister Smriti Irani in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. His victory marks a historic recapture of Amethi, a traditional Congress bastion that had slipped from the party's grasp in 2019 when Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi.
This seat, emblematic of the Gandhi family's political legacy, holds immense symbolic and strategic importance for the Congress party. Sharma's triumph not only reestablishes Congress's foothold in Amethi but also marks the party's resurgence, as it almost doubled its tally from last election and deprived Prime Minister Modi's BJP of a majority in Parliament.
In this interview Sharma discusses the key factors that contributed to his success, pressing issues in the country and prospects of a stronger opposition in India:
You have been a long time associate of the Congress family. How surprised were you when you got this ticket?
I never expect anything, but whenever a task is entrusted to me by the party, I give it my all to complete the task. I would like to give all the credit to the Gandhi family and to the people of Amethi. Initially, I was not confident about myself because I have been looking into management work for years and have never contested a single election. Managing and making others contest elections is my strong point though. But then I was asked by Rahul Ji to contest the election.
When I filed the nomination and I saw the enthusiasm in the party workers, it gave me immense confidence and it worked. The Party advertised for me very aggressively. Priyanka, Rahul, Akhilesh, Kharge they all helped me throughout this. Ashok Gehlot was there as an observer, he also helped me a lot.
As I was fighting the election as a candidate, I was very worried about how the management work was being done. So I used to work dual shifts, I used to campaign in the daytime and look into management at night.
Who do you credit this win to?
To the people. I never had to reach out to the people as I have always lived among them. I am a part of them. I have always been a low–profile person. I never stayed in the limelight, but the people of Amethi have known me and my work for a long time.
Amethi has been a bastion of Congress for decades. Last time, Rahul Gandhi lost and this time around you got the ticket. Did it feel like a huge responsibility?
Amethi was a barren land in 1984, there was no irrigation facility. When Rajiv Gandhi ji came to power in 1981 he talked with the farmers there and asked them about the problems they faced. The farmers told him about how they can only work for 8 months in a year and they have to look for jobs elsewhere for the remaining 4 months.
After Mr. Gandhi implemented irrigation and other schemes there, the farmers told him that now we get work for 8 months and we spend the rest 4 months in selling the crops in the market.
Then, major institutes and services like National Institute of Fashion technology (NIFT), rail coach manufacturing unit, Industrial Training Institute (ITI), and a government hospital among others were launched by the Congress party. All these initiatives opened up employment opportunities for the people of Amethi.
There is a famous saying in Amethi, that if the land in Amethi was not barren, the ruler would have been next to god. We are not rulers but workers. We work for the betterment of Amethi’s citizens.
Can you tell us about your association with the Congress party?
I had just graduated and I was 22 when Rajiv ji selected me. Now I am 62, and I've been working in Amethi for political and development projects. Rajiv ji was and is still my ideal. I learnt a lot from him. Then I got a chance to work with Sonia ji. I learnt so much from her as well.
Then Rahul ji came and he was a person with modern values and approaches to issues. He is a man who believes that traditionalism and modernity go hand in hand. He worked a lot for youth and brought them and their issues forward. I am an old man with a traditional mindset yet I learnt a lot from him. For instance, how to use social media to connect with more people.
What were the issues in Amethi in this election and how could you reach out to people?
We asked people about the promises that the BJP made in its manifesto and if they kept their promise in the past ten years. People gave their answer in this election.
Critics say that despite Congress ruling in Amethi for so long the region remains bereft of development. What do you think about this?
Whoever says that Gandhi family didn't do anything in 35 years, they should come and see for themselves who's done what and not rely on the media.
What would you say about the Indian media’s portrayal of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party?
Media can portray anyone however they want, but you can truly know a person by only being closer to them. And undoubtedly, there was a concentrated effort from a section of the media which negatively portrayed not just the Gandhi family but also the opposition in general.
Since I work closer to Rahul ji, I know the kind of thinking he possesses. He is not a selfish person. He doesn't think of his personal goals or development, he thinks about the nation's development. He didn't develop any of the factories for his personal benefit. It's only for the people.
Gandhi family doesn't get treated in the hospital that's run by their trust, they (the BJP) tried to shut that down on the pretext of a death occurring in the hospital. But we went to court and won that case. If a death occurs in a hospital you don't shut it down, you set up an inquiry and look into it and punish the culprits.
What do you intend to do in the next five years for the region?
I plan to use all my personal resources and work in a personal capacity for the development of Amethi. There are many good projects whose foundation was laid down by the Congress but for the past 10 years, all the work has been stagnant.
Do you think this election will finally lead to Congress redemption?
Congress is growing. And it will only grow. Because we are a party which is committed to the development of India and deeply connected with its people.
Is the party happy with the number of seats they have got in this election? How do you think this election changes the game for the opposition?
Yes, everyone is really happy. I am happier about the fact that, whether we form the government or not, India would have a stronger opposition now.
But I also believe that if we don’t implement the policies as promised in the manifesto, in the next term the people won’t elect us either. The NDA party led by Narendra Modi made some promises in 2014, after 10 years as we go back to their manifesto we see that their promises have not been fulfilled.
One asks for votes based on the work one has done, since they hadn’t fulfilled their promises, they resorted to rhetoric mainly focusing on religion. Lord Ram belongs to everyone and one should not seek votes in the name of god.
They had prepared a song “hum unko layenge jo Ram ko laye hain”. “We will elect those who brought Ram to us”. How can you bring Ram who has always been with us in our hearts? Now the people of Ayodhya have responded through their votes that Ram was always with us, is with and will always be with us.
The Congress party is always accused of appeasing Muslims for electoral gains. What would you say about that?
In Raibareily Rahul Ji won with a majority of 3 lakh 90 thousand votes. While there are only a maximum of 1 lakh Muslim voters. Had we appeased only Muslims, there we wouldn’t have won with this margin. We are a party with secular ideology. And this is why the BJP targets us. But we will always remain committed to secularism.
What do you think worked in your favour in the case of Uttar Pradesh?
The Opposition leaders thought that if we don’t unite, defeating BJP would not be possible. So leaders came together and now we all can see the result of the unification of the opposition leaders in Uttar Pradesh. We all worked with great coordination. We all worked on each other's stronghold areas for promotion which prevented the division of votes.
How do you feel about your win?
Neither I am happy nor sad, the things are the way they were. Along with the people’s support, I have also got a greater responsibility on my shoulders which I intend to fulfil to the best of my abilities.
But I know that I associate with people on the ground. I believe that unless you have a rapport with the people, one can’t be a successful leader. And I have a good rapport with the people, they know the way I work, I have never had any altercation with anyone and I see anger as my failure because if anybody is displeased with me it would affect Gandhi Family. I
I started when I was 22 and now I am 62, I have given 41 years of my life to the Gandhi family and to the Congress. Loyalty is in my blood, nothing has changed for me, I still have the same friends and same contact number. And I will remain this for the rest of my life.