Kerala’s Left Democratic Front on Sunday asked who Rahul Gandhi would be fighting in the state, the BJP or the ruling Marxist-led coalition, after the announcement that the Congress president would contest the Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad as well as Amethi.
“We can only see this as a move to take on the Left front,” Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said as Congress leaders and workers celebrated Rahul’s decision.
The BJP is yet to win a single Lok Sabha seat from Kerala and has little presence in Wayanad, where the battle has always been between the Left and the Congress-led United Democratic Front.
CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury told journalists: “We remain focused on defeating the BJP alliance, increasing our strength in the Lok Sabha and ensuring an alternative secular government at the Centre. Our priorities are clear. Other parties must declare their priorities.”
His predecessor Prakash Karat, who has always opposed any kind of understanding with the Congress, said: “The decision of the Congress goes against their own stated commitment to fight the BJP... We will work to defeat UDF in all constituencies including Wayanad.”
Asked how he saw Rahul’s decision to contest from the state, Vijayan said: “The UDF has 20 candidates, and Rahul Gandhi is one of them.”
He added: “We are not worried; we have the strength to face anyone. We’ll try and defeat Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad; we have enough confidence.”
State CPM secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan claimed that Rahul’s decision reflected his lack of confidence about retaining the family borough of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
“This sends the message that the Congress will not win even Amethi. How can Rahul Gandhi lead an alliance against the BJP if he is not confident even about winning his own seat?” he said.
In Wayanad, UDF workers erupted in celebration, distributing sweets and hitting the streets to chant slogans in support of Rahul.
State Congress president Mullapally Ramachandran said he had “great faith” through the weeklong uncertainty that Rahul would eventually contest from Wayanad.
“I was all along an optimist. It’s a proud moment for Kerala that Rahul Gandhi would be representing Wayanad in Parliament,” he said.
Ramesh Chennithala, the leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, said that with Rahul in fray from Kerala, the UDF would win all the state’s 20 seats.
“Other south Indian states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka will also see big wins for us,” he said, alluding to Wayanad’s proximity to the two neighbouring states.
T. Siddique, who was the UDF frontrunner for the Wayanad seat before Rahul’s name came up a week ago, said Sunday’s decision was “the biggest surgical strike to rattle rivals”.
The BJP went into a huddle to discuss whether the Wayanad seat, given to its local ally Bharat Dharma Jana Sena, should be taken back to field a stronger candidate. Jana Sena president Tushar Vellapally, candidate from Thrissur, too was mulling over switching to Wayanad to strengthen the fight against Rahul, and spoke to BJP chief Amit Shah about the possibility.
Wayanad, a young constituency that has voted only twice, went to the Congress both in 2009 and 2014. M.I. Shanavas defeated M. Rahamathulla of the CPI by 1.5 lakh votes in 2009, but in 2014 his victory margin over the CPI’s Sathyan Mokeri shrank to 20,870.
In the 2014 elections, Wayanad had 13 lakh voters, including 6.7 lakh women.
The Congress has always benefited from the minority vote in Wayanad, where Muslims and Christians make up about 49 per cent of the population and tribal communities account for another 20 per cent. The Dalits and the backward classes are split between the Congress and the Left.
Situated in the tri-junction of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Wayanad is an agrarian district known for its high-quality cash crops such as pepper, cardamom and tea.
Over the last decade, Wayanad has turned a prime tourist destination and a weekend magnet for techies from Bangalore, just 270km away.
