English translation of book on Smriti’s Amethi win to be released on March 15
The English translation of journalist-author Anant Vijay's book Amethi Sangram: Aitihasik Jeet Ankahi Dastan will be released on March 15, announced publishing house Westland on Friday.
The book, titled Dynasty to Democracy: The Untold Story of Smriti Irani's Triumph, traces Union Minister Smriti Irani's journey from her defeat in 2014 to her victory in the Congress stronghold of Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, during the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The Hindi book was published in December 2020.
The 44-year-old BJP leader had defeated the then Congress chief and MP Rahul Gandhi in his family bastion by a margin of 55,120 votes. It was the second time that Irani had contested against Rahul in Amethi. In 2014, Rahul got 4,08,651 votes against Irani's 3,00,748 votes.
"It was a feat that never occurred in the history of Congress party when a sitting president lost the parliamentary election. This happened in Amethi in 2019 when Smriti Irani defeated Rahul Gandhi. I was tracking the results of (the) Lok Sabha election and when this result came, a thought came into my mind to document the reasons of this... one of the biggest political happening of Independent India. The result is Dynasty to Democracy,” said Vijay, who has authored 11 books, including Prasangvash, Kolahal Kalah Mein, Vidhaaon ka Vinyaas and Bollywood Selfie.
Billed as a 'karmabhoomi' of the Nehru–Gandhi family, it has been continually held by the Congress since its inception as a Lok Sabha constituency in 1967, except for half-dozen years in between.
According to Westland, Vijay's book attempts to understand the reasons behind Irani's success in Amethi, shining a light on personality and political methods of the actor-turned-politician.
"It examines how political parties function in a democracy like ours. The book can also be seen as a study of the RSS's working style, its strategies and exemplary execution that backed Smriti Irani's efforts from 2014 to 2019," read a statement issued by the publishers.
