KL Sharma: Congress' Amethi Pick Who Will Face Smriti Irani

The Congress has fielded Kishori Lal Sharma, from Amethi - a longtime loyalist of the Gandhi family, from the prestigious seat which he looked after in their absence. The Congress decision was announced this morning after weeks of suspense.

Rahul Gandhi, who was expected to make an all-out bid to win back Amethi, has been announced as the party candidate from Raebareli. Mr Gandhi had lost the family bastion - Amethi -in a shock defeat to the BJP's Smriti Irani in 2019.

The Congress will contest 17 of UP's 80 Lok Sabha seats, with the remaining 63 going to INDIA bloc ally Samajwadi Party and regional outfits.

All you need to know about KL Sharma:

1. Kishori Lal Sharma or KL Sharma is from Ludhiana in Punjab and has been associated with the Congress for over four decades.
2. Kishori Lal Sharma first came to Amethi in 1983 and has been working for the party in the constituency since then.
3. Party sources say Kishori Lal Sharma was a close associate of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. His bond with the Gandhi family grew stronger after Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991.
4. KL Sharma, sources say, played a key role in Sonia Gandhi's first win from Amethi in 1999, which earned her a seat in Parliament.
5. Mr Sharma managed party affairs in Amethi and Raebareili after Sonia Gandhi vacated the seat for son Rahul.