Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has formed a new team with Nitin Nabin as president, and in this new setup, one of the most famous politicians reshuffled into the party’s fold is the former Union Minister Smriti Irani.
With this announcement, Smriti Irani has become the National General Secretary once again, making her return back into the core of the party’s national body after some time away from the BJP’s national team.
The significance of her return not only lies in her political standing but also in the strong relationship she has with the state of Uttar Pradesh, a state which would prove to be very important for the BJP ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
Actress-turned-politician is one of the most famous faces of Narendra Modi’s cabinet. It is worth noting that she is no longer the part of the Union Cabinet as she lost her Amethi seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to Congress candidate Kishor Lal Sharma.
Smriti Irani’s Electoral History
Her biggest win came in 2019 Lok Sabha elections when she fiercely defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.
She received 4,68,514 votes, while Rahul Gandhi secured 4,13,394 votes, giving her a winning margin of 55,120 votes.
Rahul Gandhi had represented Amethi since 2004, making Irani’s victory particularly significant. Her defeat of the Congress leader turned her into one of the BJP’s most prominent political campaigners.
Irani’s Amethi Connect Started In 2014
Irani’s association with Amethi did not begin with her 2019 victory.
She first contested the constituency in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, when she lost to Rahul Gandhi. Despite the defeat, she continued to maintain contact with the constituency.
Her sustained organisational presence helped her build a political base in Amethi and eventually contributed to her 2019 victory.
However, the 2024 election brought a different result.
Congress candidate Kishori Lal Sharma defeated Irani by more than 1.67 lakh votes, ending her five-year stint as Amethi’s MP.
2027 Uttar Pradesh Election Key Focus
This fresh nomination has come at a time when the BJP is gearing up for yet another big fight in Uttar Pradesh.
Election to the Uttar Pradesh assembly in 2027 is likely to be the BJP’s next big political test after the party’s disappointing showing in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2024.
In 2024, the INDIA bloc had won 43 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh, while the NDA won 36, of which the BJP won 33.
These numbers underlined the problem for the BJP in India’s most politically significant state. As the Assembly elections draw near, the party will need to work on rebuilding its organisational base and political issues that contributed to the poor showing in 2024.