Bharatiya Janata Party's Smriti Irani files nomination from Amethi

The Uttar Pradesh Congress has urged the top party leadership to field Gandhi from the seat.Gandhi had said earlier that he will follow whatever order he gets from his party.Amethi goes to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 20.

Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Monday filed nomination papers from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency.

Irani filed her nomination papers in two sets before District Election Officer Nisha Anant.

Accompanied by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and other BJP leaders, Irani held a 3-km roadshow, which started from the BJP office in Gauriganj, before filing her papers.

The roadshow ended about 200 metres from the collectorate, as per the orders of the district magistrate.

Uttar Pradesh minister Mayankashwar Sharan Singh and Irani's husband Zubin Irani also participated in the roadshow.

Speaking to reporters after filing her nomination, Irani said, ''With the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I got the opportunity to serve Amethi five years ago. I could achieve in five years what was not possible in 50 years.'' Attacking Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who represented Amethi from 2004 to 2019, Irani said, ''There was a time when due to the missing MP, the farmers of Amethi had to face lathis for 15 years for fertiliser. But the prime minister freed the farmers from this serious problem by building a fertiliser centre in Amethi.'' ''In Amethi, houses were provided to 1.14 lakh poor people, toilets were built for 4 lakh poor families which benefited 16 lakh people, 1.5 lakh houses got electricity connections and 4.20 lakh farmers are getting the benefit of the Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana,'' she said, listing the work done in her constituency.

Irani wrested Amethi seat, which was considered a stronghold of the Congress, from Gandhi in 2019.

The Congress has not yet announced its candidate from the seat. The Uttar Pradesh Congress has urged the top party leadership to field Gandhi from the seat.

Gandhi had said earlier that he will follow ''whatever order'' he gets from his party.

Amethi goes to polls in the fifth phase of the Lok Sabha polls on May 20.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)