New Delhi: Kishori Lal Sharma, a longtime loyalist of the Gandhi family, has made history of sorts by becoming the first non-Gandhi Congress candidate to contest from Amethi. The decision was announced this morning, ending weeks of suspense.
Rahul Gandhi, who was expected to make an all-out bid to win back Amethi, has been announced as the party candidate from Rae Bareli. Gandhi had lost the family bastion – Amethi -in a shock defeat to the BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019.
KL Sharma thanked the party for the opportunity to contest from Amethi – Gandhis’ family bastion in Uttar Pradesh.
Kishori Lal Sharma or KL Sharma is from Ludhiana in Punjab and has been associated with the Congress for over four decades. He first came to Amethi in 1987 and has been working for the party in the constituency since then. According to party sources, Sharma was a close associate of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. His bond with the Gandhi family grew stronger after Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991. KL Sharma played a key role in Sonia Gandhi’s first win from Amethi in 1999, which earned her a seat in Parliament, NDTV reported quoting sources.
Sharma managed party affairs in Amethi and Rae Bareli after Sonia Gandhi vacated the seat for son Rahul.
