The Congress’ surprise pick for Amethi, Kishori Lal Sharma is not so surprising for those who know him. He originally belonged to Ludhiana. He graduated from the local Arya College in the early 1980s and immediately joined the late Rajiv Gandhi in 1983.
The bond with the Gandhi family started since then. It has been 41 years and the bond has grown stronger and stronger more stronger during the tougher times.
As Kishori was named from Amethi, it reminded me of 2004, when Ms Sonia Gandhi named another family loyalist, Dr Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of the country. It is like a Manmohan moment for Kishori.
While his family is settled in Ludhiana only, Kishori, as he is popularly known among his friends and political circles, dedicated his entire life to Amethi, Raebareli and the Gandhi family. It was the reward for four decades of unfailing loyalty, dedication and commitment that got Kishori nominated from the coveted Amethi parliamentary constituency, which is otherwise synonymous with Gandhi's name.
It happens so rarely that a non-Gandhi contests on a Congress ticket from Amethi. In the last quarter of a century, it has always been either Ms Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi. Before 1999, after the brutal assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, Capt Satish Sharma contested from here. Capt Sharma was also a close family friend and had a longtime association with Rajiv Gandhi.
Kishori stood by the family during the tough times after Rajiv’s assassination. When the Gandhi family remained relatively sidelined during PV Narasimha Rao’s regime, Kishori remained a true loyalist. And that earned him more trust from the family.
Kishori looked after both Amethi and Raebareli constituencies. He knows both the constituencies in the proverbial way of ‘back of his palm’. It would be a gross underestimation of his skills and deep outreach to suggest that he is a “weak candidate”.
Kishori may not carry a Gandhi surname, but he carries with him a deep connection and association of decades with the two Gandhi family bastions. People close to him in Ludhiana say that Kishori would rarely miss any social occasion in the two constituencies and would represent the Gandhis everywhere.
His presence on such occasions would compensate for the Gandhis’ absence.
Dr Kuldeep Jhandha, a longtime family friend of Kishori’s was jubilant and excited over his nomination from Amethi. He disclosed that dozens of Congress workers and leaders were preparing to participate in the campaign there. Since Amethi goes to polls on May 20, ten days before Ludhiana, people from here will get enough time to campaign at both places.
Jhanda disclosed that although Kishori remained busy and preoccupied with work in Amethi and Raebareli, he maintained regular touch with Ludhiana. He did not move his family out of here.
People associated with him and who know him closely caution that it would be a great mistake to take him lightly. He is connected with the grassroots at both places, whether Amethi or Raebareli. Also, he belongs to an older generation of Congressmen who believed in grooming personal relationships. He must know thousands of people by their name and address.
In electoral politics, grassroots connect always pays good dividends and Kishori has enough of it in Amethi. Plus, he has the experience of fighting so many elections for the Gandhi family at both places, Amethi as well as Raebareli.
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