The sharp reduction of BJP seats in the Lok Sabha in General Election 2024 aside, arguably the most dramatic result of that election was the shock defeat of Smriti Irani, incumbent BJP candidate from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. Contesting in General Election 2019 from this constituency — the safe pocket borough of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty for over half a century — Irani trounced Congress leader Rahul Gandhi by a record margin of 55,000 votes, and was promptly appointed Union minister.

Therefore, it’s a matter of considerable speculation how and why this giant slayer of 2019, when she re-contested from Amethi five years later in General Election 2024, was thrashed by a record 167,196 votes by Kishori Lal Sharma, a modest servitor of the Gandhi dynasty.   

This conundrum was resolved and all became clear in end-April when Irani accepted an invitation of the O.P. Jindal Global University to address students and faculty. Instead of attempting to win friends and influence people, ab initio Irani adopted the style and tone of a stern headmistress talking down to the audience. In the hour she spent onstage interacting with earnest JGU students — even your ‘umble editor was slapped down for “hiding behind students” — Irani provided an object lesson on how to lose friends and dis-influence people.

Such hauteur despite her not holding any government office following her election rout. Obviously, that’s how she lost friends and dis-influenced the Amethi electorate. Now she’s a BJP loose cannon wandering the wilderness without power, but still a lot of attitude.

Also Read: General election 2024: Why BJP lost ground