Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Robert Vadra, husband of senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra, on Thursday, expressed his desire to contest the Lok Sabha election from the Amethi constituency, which has been the bastion of the grand old party.
Congress is yet to declare candidates for Amethi and Rae Bareli seats in Uttar Pradesh.
In a statement given to news agency ANI, 55-year-old Vadra has said that people want me to enter politics. "If I get a chance, I would like to go among the people of Amethi and work for them. I along with Priyanka Gandhi first started the election campaign in Amethi in 1999," added Moradabad-born Vadra.
He also claimed that the people of Amethi were "upset" with their current MP and Union Minister Smriti Irani.
"Since then, I have been continuously active in Amethi, Rae Bareli, Jagdishpur and Sultanpur. Even today the people of Amethi are connected with me. People contact me during festivals or my birthday. According to the wishes of the people, if I take my first step in politics and think of becoming an MP, then I should represent Amethi only," Vadra added.
"I would like the people of Amethi and Rae Bareli to see that whoever represents them, whoever is the MP there, should talk about their progress, talk about their goodness and security and do not do politics of discrimination. The people of Amethi are upset with their current MP. People feel the current MP is not thinking about any progress in the region," added Vadra, who is a businessman.
According to Vadra, the people of Amethi cut cakes on his birthday and serve langars. Senior Congress leader and former party chief Rahul Gandhi was elected from the Amethi Lok Sabha seat in the 2004, 2009 and 2014 elections. Rahul Gandhi's father and Robert Vadra's father-in-law former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was also elected from the Amethi seat.
However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP leader Smriti Irani emerged as a giant-killer and defeated Rahul Gandhi.
