Here is why search for second seat for Rahul is on

New Delhi, March 27: Congress President Rahul Gandhi is likely to contest from two seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections because his party is anticipating defeat from Gandhi family bastion Amethi, say sources.

It is being reported that there has been lots of pressure on Gandhi to also fight from a southern state seat apart from his current Amethi seat to maximise the party's gain in key southern states. However, the Congress insiders say that search for a secure second seat for Rahul is on because Amethi may not prove as a secured seat as it used to be for the Gandhi family.

One of the main threats for Gandhi is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Smriti Irani. She had given a very tough fight to the Gandhi scion in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Irani had secured 3,00,748 votes and her vote share was 34.38 per cent, a plus of 28.57 per cent from 2009 general elections.

Though Rahul had won the seat but his vote share percentage dropped. He had secured 4,08,651 votes with a vote share of 46.71 per cent, a minus of 25.07 per cent from 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Despite losing the elections, Irani regularly visited Amethi and developed people to people contact.

She, as Union Textiles Minister, launched development projects worth over Rs 67 crore in Amethi on November 19, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also dedicated the Indo-Russia Rifles Pvt Limited, situated in Amethi, to the nation. The factory is to manufacture the latest series of the iconic Kalashnikov rifles.

He also unveiled 17 development projects worth Rs 538 crore. These relate to power generation, education, health, and manufacturing sectors. These projects will be of direct benefit to Amethi region as well as Uttar Pradesh.

A source tells OneIndia on the condition of anonymity that not only Irani and BJP but other factors too have worried the Congress strategists.

"Former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Chandra Parkash Mishra has joined the BJP, who had fought against Rahul in Amethi in 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Since the BSP and Samajwadi Party (SP) have announced not to field candidate against Gandhi, Mishra may help in swinging the hardcore BSP votes in favour of Irani. There are approximately 6000-70000 staunch voters of the BSP in Amethi," says the source.

The announcement of a former Congress leader's son to contest against Rahul has also worried the Congress.

Haji Mohammed Haroon Rashid, son of former Amethi Congress leader Mohammed Sultan, has announced that he would contest against Rahul as the Congress did nothing for Amethi in the last 70 years.

Mohammed Sultan worked with Rahul's father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi.

Haroon says that there are 6.5 lakh Muslim voters in Amethi who would vote against the Congress.

If Haroon's claim is true then the anti-BJP votes will be divided and it will harm the Congress' prospects, says the source.