Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will lose “by a big margin” in the Lok Sabha polls in Amethi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and candidate Kumar Vishwas said.
The Arvind Kejriwal associate also said that the biggest losers of the election in Uttar Pradesh will be, besides the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the now ruling Samajwadi Party.
“I am confident Rahul Gandhi will not only lose but will lose by a big margin.”
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He said that until the advent of the AAP, none of the existing political parties really challenged the Gandhi family in Amethi.
“The issues in Amethi concern development. There is a place called Shankarganj, which has a half-built bridge. It has not been completed for the past seven years.”
Mr. Vishwas said he often walked on Amethi’s roads and spent the night in different villages.
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“I go to villages and stay at night wherever it gets dark. The next morning I start for another village. The route is chalked out by people of the villages.
“I talk to people in their local dialect in Awadhi. The language barrier is not there, and this helps me to connect with people.
“The people here tell me that no one has ever come to meet them in Amethi. They are overwhelmed... The biggest connect is with women and children.”
He said he been attacked four times while campaigning. But these have abated.
How many seats will the AAP win in Uttar Pradesh?
Mr. Vishwas avoided a direct answer but said “we are fighting to our best abilities and I can say we are going to win seats in large numbers.
“I feel the Congress will lose on all the seats (in the State) it holds. I don’t think it can even win one or two seats from Uttar Pradesh.”
Is there a Narendra Modi wave?
“The way Modi is pursuing the campaign and spending a large sum of money, it has increased his visibility a lot.
“The main opponents to the Congress are the AAP and BJP. The biggest loss in these elections will be to Samajwadi Party and the BSP.”