As the fifth phase of polling comes to an end in Uttar Pradesh, it is the battle for Amethi that is grabbing eye-balls. That it is part of Rahul Gandhi’s eponymous Lok Sabha constituency – and thus an issue of great prestige for the Congress -- is perhaps the most insignificant reason for Amethi to be in the news. That BJP leader and union minister Smriti Irani, who took on the Gandhi scion here, paid special attention to the Assembly is also not much of a moot-point.
For the people of Amethi, the election this time has become more of entertainment because of the contestants that includes two Ranis (queens) and a rape accused. Incidentally, Amethi also has highest number of candidates -- 24 in all – fighting it out. While BJP fielded Garima Singh, estranged wife of Congress leader and Amethi state’s minor royalty Sanjay Singh, Samajwadi Party (SP) gave the ticket to sitting MLA Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, an accused in a rape case.
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Not to be bogged down by the SP-Congress alliance, Sanjay Singh, in an act of rebellion, insisted that his second wife Ameeta Sinh will be the Congress candidate. He didn’t care about the tie-up. “It had to be Ameeta. She contested last time also and gave a tough fight to Prajapati. Just because the two parties have decided to fight together, why should Ameeta withdraw,” he questioned.
Outlook was in Amethi when the controversy was at its peak in the first week of February and spoke to all the characters concerned. Sanjay’s minor rebellion won Ameeta the Congress symbol – the official stamp of approval from the party – but kept Priyanka Gandhi out of Amethi, part of the family’s pocket-borough. Belying expectations of the party workers, Priyanka did not address any rally or public meeting in the area.
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Local Congress leaders told Outlook that she did not want to enter into a messy fight as she was one of the key architects of the SP-Congress alliance. “Who will she come and campaign for,” asks a local Congress leader.
After speaking to Garima Singh, who is contesting her first ever elections, and Ameeta Sinh, it was clear that for them the fight is much bigger than just the Amethi assembly seat. It was also about palace intrigues and fight over inheritance of property, primarily Bhupati Bhawan, a 450-year-old, 500-room ancestral home of Sanjay Singh’s family.
Garima, in her rallies, focused on her fight for justice for her family. She said that she had been wronged but never took the fight to the court “out of respect” for her husband. Interestingly, both Garima and Ameeta have put Sanjay Singh’s name as husband in their respective affidavits. Garima’s daughter Mahima went on to say that Ameeta should not call Sanjay Singh her husband as their marriage was not valid. “She should call herself Ameeta Modi and not Singh,” she said, referring to Ameeta’s late first husband and national badminton champion Syed Modi, who was shot dead in Lucknow in 1988. Both, Sanjay Singh and Ameeta had faced a murder trial in the case but were acquitted because of lack of evidence.
Ameeta was combative when Outlook spoke to her. Certain of her victory, she said that she was in a comfortable spot and charged BJP of dearth of leadership and thought. “It could only find Garima Singh to contest? She had not even seen the face of Amethi in 62 years of her life. She doesn’t know the issues of people, that’s why she is raising her own personal issues. This is not how elections are fought and won,” Ameeta said.
A local trader, Mahant Singh, had an interesting take on the entire situation: “The two Ranis are fighting like cats. Prajapati is cowering because of Akhilesh Yadav’s rebuff (SP leader had refused to share dais with him). Ab to lagta hai ki Ram ji hi Amethi ko bachayenge (It seems now that only Ram ji can save Amethi).” Ram ji is the BSP candidate from the seat.
