Who is Kishori Lal Sharma, Congress party's candidate in Amethi?

Who is Kishori Lal Sharma, Congress party's candidate in Amethi?

Rahul Gandhi will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli.

Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma will today file his Lok Sabha elections' nomination from Uttar Pradesh's Amethi seat. The constituency had been the Gandhi family's stronghold until 2019, when Congress stalwart Rahul Gandhi lost the general elections to BJP's Smriti Irani.

Rahul Gandhi, who represented Amethi in the Lower House of Parliament from 2004 till 2019, will file his nomination papers from the family stronghold, Rae Bareli.

Rahul Gandhi's mother Sonia Gandhi represented the Rae Bareli constituency from 2004 to 2024. Earlier this year, she vacated the seat and moved to the Rajya Sabha. There was speculation that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would contest from the constituency.

Who is Kishori Lal Sharma?

Kishori Lal Sharma is a confidant of the Gandhi family. He had been Sonia Gandhi's constituency representative in Rae Bareli.

Kishori Lal Sharma is the point-person in Rae Bareli and Amethi for all matters linked to the Gandhi family.

Kishori Lal Sharma will contest against BJP's Smriti Irani, who defeated Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

KL Sharma is a native of Punjab. He first came to Amethi as a Congress worker in 1983. He was closely associated with Congress leader and former prime minister (late) Rajiv Gandhi.

After Rajiv Gandhi's death in 1991, KL Sharma kept working for the Congress party in Amethi. When the Gandhi family kept away from electoral politics in the 1990s, he campaigned for other Congress candidates.

Kishori Lal Sharma played a key role in Sonia Gandhi's first electoral win in 1999. Gandhi first entered the Parliament with a victory in Amethi.

After Sonia Gandhi vacated the Amethi seat and moved to Rae Bareli, KL Sharma moved to the city with her.

In 2004, Rahul Gandhi was elected to the Lok Sabha from Amethi. Later, KL Sharma started to manage the party's affairs in both Amethi and Rae Bareli.

KL Sharma has also worked for the Congress party in Bihar and Punjab.

Voting in Amethi and Rae Bareli will take place on May 20.