On Missing Parliament Life, Smriti Irani Says 'I Don't Have FOMO But Congress...'

Last Updated:September 20, 2025, 21:12 IST

Smriti Irani spoke at an event, reflecting on her political journey, BJP-Congress rivalry, youth in democracy, and recent election results involving Rahul Gandhi and Kishori Lal.

Smriti Irani will reprise her role as Tulsi in KSBKBT 2. (Photo Credit: X)

BJP leader Smriti Irani addressed a youth-focused audience at NDTV Yuva’s Mumbai edition on Saturday, discussing politics, democracy, and her party’s rivals, while reflecting on her own journey in politics and acting.

Speaking before a youth-dominated audience, Irani described her entry into public life as driven by a simple motivation. “People like me have come to politics, but we desire to work for the country," she told NDTV.

When asked whether she missed her life in Parliament, the BJP leader said she does not feel any “FOMO" (Fear of Missing Out). She added that, in her view, it is the Congress party that experiences “ROMO," or “relief of missing out."

Irani achieved a major victory by unseating Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with a margin of over 55,000 votes in 2019. However, in the 2024 general elections, she lost the same seat to Congress’s Kishori Lal Sharma, who won by a margin of more than 1.6 lakh votes in his electoral debut.

“I feel that if the Opposition thinks that youngsters don’t believe in the democratic process, then they don’t have faith in the youth. And this political connection shows that they have faith in the system," she said.

Commenting on the Opposition’s frequent use of the term “vote chori" (vote theft), Irani stated, “When I hear the phrase ‘vote chori,’ I see it as an insult to Indian democracy, used by the Opposition as a reaction to failing to earn the trust of voters."

Leader of Opposition Gandhi and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, and other opposition leaders have been, for some time now, targeting the poll body and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing them of ‘collusion’ to commit voter fraud in federal and state elections, including in Karnataka two years ago and in Maharashtra last year.

They have alleged that similar practices are being carried out in Bihar, which votes later this year, referring to the Election Commission’s ‘special intensive revision’ of the electoral roll.

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