Exit Poll: Tight Contest Between Smriti Irani and KL Sharma in Amethi; Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad

Union minister Smriti Irani and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi are anticipated to secure their respective Amethi and Wayanad Lok Sabha seats, as per the Today-Axis My India exit polls. However, the race in Amethi is expected to be tight as Smriti Irani contends against Congress candidate KL Sharma, according to the exit poll. The counting of votes for the Lok Sabha polls 2024 is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Smriti Irani clinched a significant victory in Amethi, a constituency long considered a bastion of the Gandhi family. She defeated Rahul Gandhi, who had held the seat for 15 years, by a margin of 55,120 votes. In their initial electoral face-off in 2014, Rahul Gandhi emerged victorious against the Bharatiya Janata Party leader.

In Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi is positioned strongly to secure another term in the Lok Sabha elections, as predicted by the India Today-Axis My India exit poll. The poll suggests Rahul Gandhi holds an advantage over BJP candidate and state party chief K Surendran, with veteran CPI leader Annie Raja also in the running.

This forecast is based on extensive data from 5.8 lakh interviews conducted across all 543 parliamentary constituencies, as reported by India Today.

While Rahul Gandhi also contested from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, the Congress nominated KL Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, to contest from Amethi against Smriti Irani.

During the election campaigns, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra actively countered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attacks on the Congress, particularly in Amethi and Rae Bareli. She campaigned across 16 states and one Union territory, addressing large gatherings of workers in Amethi and Rae Bareli.

The Amethi constituency comprises five assembly segments and is a general seat. Voting for the Amethi seat took place in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 on May 20.

During his campaign, Rahul Gandhi pledged equal development for Amethi and Rae Bareli if the Congress came to power at the Centre. He contested the Lok Sabha polls from Rae Bareli, replacing his mother Sonia Gandhi.