Map blues for Cong in Amethi

The implication is that the area of Amethi LS seat, comprising five Assembly segments, is no longer under a single district administration. It is back again under the administrative jurisdiction of two districts — Rae Bareli and Sultanpur. Which means that Sonia’s lieutenants would have to do a lot of legwork, 70 km to Rae Bareli, 40 km to Sultanpur to come true on political promises. The erstwhile Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar had its headquarters in the heart of Amethi at Gauriganj.

It was only in December 2002 that then CM Mayawati carved out a separate district with five Assembly segments that make up Amethi. Of course, she was trying to offset Priyanka’s pro-Dalit politics. To rub it in, she christened the district, Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar. Sonia’s managers were angry with the name. They were, however, happy the constituency came under a single administration. It meant they would not have to travel a distance with every plan.

It was only in April, 2003, that the district began functioning independently. A new DM, M.P. Agarwal, took charge. When contacted, Bholanath Tripathi, a member of Sonia’s core team, said that they had only just managed to transfer files to the DM from Rae Bareli and Sultanpur.

Not that Mulayam acted on his own. The Allahabad HC had passed an order against a separate district in Amethi based on a PIL which argued that the district did not have the necessary administrative infrastructure. ‘‘I obviously won’t comment on the judgement,’’ said a despondent Tripathi. Even Akhilesh Pratap Singh, Congress spokesman in Lucknow, said the Mulayam government could not be blamed or praised for the decision. ‘‘They had to act on the high court order.’’

Sonia’s MPLAD funds had not been spent on time because constituency managers had to deal with two DMs. Besides, it was Rajiv Gandhi, who had promised a separate district for Amethi. The demand had been growing again after Sonia won in a landslide in 1999.

Tripathi admitted this was a crucial year. The voters want development. Now files will be redistributed among Sultanpur and Rae Bareli districts, forcing him and his colleagues to chalk out fresh strategy.