"We are the country's oldest party, " says Jamna Prasad Shukla, a Congress veteran from Amethi.

CNN: Hard Times for Congress

Shopkeeper Sushil Jaiswal says that Rajiv Gandhi "did a lot" for the people of Amethi.

BBC: India's prime minister in waiting?

Mrs Gandhi arranged for her son to take the traditional family route to politics, as MP in Amethi, the heartland of the dynasty.

ECONOMIST: The Gandhi dynasty, continued