The Congress on Sunday announced that its party president Rahul Gandhi will contest from Wayanad in Left-ruled Kerala in addition to his home turf Amethi in Uttar Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"This is a message to the southern states that they are deeply valued and respected. Congress president Rahul Gandhi has said that he will represent Amethi but will also represent southern states as they are an important part of India's way of life," said party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
Party insiders said a tough battle in UP could have led to the candidature from Wayanad. While Gandhi won the Amethi seat in 2014, concerted campaigning by BJP's Smriti Irani narrowed down the margin to 1 lakh – he had won in 2009 with a lead of over 3.7 lakh.
To add to the Congress's woes, Haji Haroon Rasheed, the son of Haji Sultan Khan, the man who proposed the names of both Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the 1991 and 1999 Parliamentary elections, is now contesting from the seat opposite Gandhi.
Sensing trouble, leaders from New Delhi had told party's state units to publicly appeal Gandhi to contest from their respective states. Consequently, requests came from Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
Sources said the party considers Wayanad a safe seat. What helped matters was that both the Oommen Chandy and Ramesh Chennithala factions, in a bid to announce their own candidate, had not announced any name.
Congress's MI Shanavas had won from the constituency in last general elections with a margin of 20,000, pulling in 41 per cent votes. The CPI's Sathyan Mokeri bagged 38.6 per cent votes. Of the seat's seven assembly segments, four seats were won by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and three by United Democratic Front (UDF). Gandhi will face LDF candidate PP Suneer of the CPI, while the BJP has a seat-sharing deal with the Bharatiya Dharma Jana Sena. BJP could alternately field a senior leader from the seat now.
BJP president Amit Shah, during a poll rally in Rajasthan, said that Gandhi was running away from Amethi as he was scared of losing. "Rahul Gandhi has fled to Kerala as he fears that Amethi voters will seek an account from him," Shah said.
Congress's announcement has also angered Left, a key ally. Both Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury, who is considered close to Gandhi, have sent out angry missives. "To pick a candidate like Rahul Gandhi against Left means that Congress is going to target the Left in Kerala. This is something which we will strongly oppose and in this election we will work to ensure the defeat of Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad," said Karat. Yechury added that Congress should explain this.
ALL THE WAY TO WAYANAD
- In 2009, Rahul Gandhi had won from Amethi by a lead of nearly 3.7 lakh votes
- But the margin was down to 1 lakh in 2014 when BJP had fielded Smriti Irani
- Sources said Congress feels Wayanad is a safe seat. It had won in 2014 with a 20K margin
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