Is Wayanad A Done Deal For Rahul Gandhi Or There Is More To It?

Rahul Gandhi is seeking a second term in the Wayanad constituency in the upcoming general election. With the arrival of a former Congress president again, the constituency has been one of the most closely watched in the nation.

As the LDF fielded its national leader, Annie Raja, and the BJP placed its state president, K Surendran, opposite the sitting MP, the constituency is to witness an eventful poll fray where both the BJP and the CPI look at Rahul Gandhi as rival.

With Rahul Gandhi, the Constitution is fully set to witness an eventful poll fray, where both the BJP and the CPI aim at the national figure of Congress, Rahul Gandhi, as a rival. Many political observers believe that, compared to the last time, this term will not be a cakewalk for the Congress leader. In 2019, he received 706367 votes with a 64.94% vote share, which was one of the highest vote shares in the country.

Even though both the Congress and the CPM are part of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), they are political rivals in Kerala. The LDF criticises the Congress over Rahul Gandhi’s second-term candidature from the Wayanad, as he is the national face of the INDIA Bloc. He should have sought the poll from the northern side, where the BJP is the main rival of the alliance, unlike Kerala, where the CPM-led LDF and the Congress-led UDF are the main contenders, the LDF says.

In 2019, Rahul Gandhi had contested from both the Wayanad and the Amethi constituencies. But after losing to the BJP’s Smriti Irani in Amethi, the Wayanad consistency was his sanctuary. BJP candidate K Surendran claims that in the upcoming general election, Rahul Gandhi will have the same fate as he had in the Amethi constituency last time.

The past election history of constituency was in favor of the UDF, as Congress leader MI Shanavas won the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and 2014. In 2009, Shanavas won by 4.10 lakh votes and a vote share of 49.8%. He repeated the victory in 2014 by winning more than 3.77 lakh votes. Considering the past verdicts, the constituency has been a stronghold for the UDF.

Before filing the nomination, Rahul Gandhi held a large roadshow in the constituency, accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, opposition leader VD Satheesan, and IUML general secretary PK Kunhalikutty.

Since IUML holds a significant sway in the Wayanad constituency, the leaders of IUML are very active throughout the campaign. However, the controversy over the ‘devoid of flags’ in the roadshow opened political dialogue in the constituency, as the LDF reportedly added it as fuel to their campaign.

The LDF candidate, Annie Raja, is a popular face of the party, and she maintains better influence among rural society. As the rural electorate constitutes 93% of the Wayanad constituency, her candidacy is significant. Meanwhile, BJP  candidate K Surendran claimed that the anti-incumbency factors in the state are favorable to the NDA.

A verbal spat is going on between the Congress and the CPM over the candidature of Rahul Gandhi in the constituency. Annie Raja criticised the sitting MP for not coming and standing by the people of Wayanad even during the most difficult time. However, the death of Siddharthan at Wayanad Veterinary University in an SFI campus is a challenge for the LDF.

(This story is part of a Timeline. internship project.)