Union Minister Smriti Irani and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi are predicted to retain their seats in Amethi and Wayanad, respectively, according to Today-Axis My India exit polls. The race in Amethi is expected to be tight, with Smriti Irani competing against Congress candidate KL Sharma.
Vote counting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will take place on Tuesday, June 4.
In the 2019 elections, Smriti Irani won a significant victory in Amethi, a traditional stronghold of the Gandhi family, defeating Rahul Gandhi by 55,120 votes. Rahul had held the seat for 15 years before this defeat. In their first contest in 2014, Rahul Gandhi emerged victorious over Smriti Irani.
The exit polls indicate Rahul Gandhi is strongly positioned to win another term in Wayanad. He is expected to have an edge over BJP candidate and state party chief K Surendran, and veteran CPI leader Annie Raja. India Today reported these predictions are based on extensive data from 580,000 interviews conducted across all 543 parliamentary constituencies.
While Rahul Gandhi also contested from the Rae Bareli seat, the Congress fielded KL Sharma in Amethi to challenge Smriti Irani. Political observers noted that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra played a significant role in the campaign, countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attacks on Congress and addressing large rallies in Amethi and Rae Bareli.
Amethi comprises five assembly segments: Tiloi, Salon, Jagdishpur, Gauriganj, and Amethi. Voting for this constituency occurred on May 20 during the sixth phase of the elections. Rahul Gandhi promised to prioritize development in both Amethi and Rae Bareli if Congress came to power.
Rahul Gandhi contested from Rae Bareli, taking over from his mother, Sonia Gandhi.