Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress leadership's decision to field Priyanka Gandhi from Wayanad constituency, after her brother Rahul Gandhi opted to retain Rae Bareli, is likely to impact Kerala's political landscape significantly.
Priyanka Gandhi’s first reaction — “I will not let the people of Wayanad feel my brother's absence” — clearly indicated the importance that the family attaches to the constituency. After Rae Bareli and Amethi, Wayanad has become the third constituency attached to the Gandhi family.
Rahul Gandhi has a special relationship with the people of Wayanad. He has often stated that his disqualification from Lok Sabha had deepened the relationship with the people of Wayanad which elected him with a record margin of over four lakh votes in 2019 and by over 3.6 lakh in the last elections.
“I am saying my relationship with you is not going to change for the entire lifetime,” he said at the thanksgiving meeting held last week.
Priyanka Gandhi is not new to Wayanad. She was one of the main star campaigners for Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and accompanied her brother to Wayanad several times. During Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Wayanad after his disqualification, Priyanka Gandhi joined him and participated in a the massive “Satyamev Jayate" road show.
She campaigned extensively for Rahul Gandhi and other candidates of the UDF in Kerala in the recent Lok Sabha polls.
Reacting to Congress' decision to field Priyanka Gandhi from Wayanad, CPI leader and Rahul Gandhi’s rival Annie Raja said; `In a parliamentary democracy, we have to fight elections. The LDF will have a candidate against Priyanka Gandhi. The issue will be discussed in the CPI and LDF and we will decide on the candidate.”
The CPI leader said she stood by her earlier stand that Rahul Gandhi should have made it clear before the Wayanad people that he would be vacating the constituency.
CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said his party will contest the Wayanad byelection. “If we don’t contest the poll it will only strengthen the BJP,” he said.
BJP state president K Surendran said Rahul Gandhi has ditched the people of Wayanad.
“Welcome to Kerala, Priyanka Gandhi ji” reacted Kerala’s Congress leader V D Satheeshan.
Muslim League supremo Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal hailed the Congress decision to field Priyanka Gandhi from Wayanad. “Priyanka’s arrival in Kerala will strengthen the UDF, India Alliance and Secularism. We had requested the Congress that Priyanka should replace Rahul should he decide to vacate Wayanad. We are confident that she will win by a huge margin,” he said.
AICC general secretary (organization) K C Venugopal said Rahul and Priyanka would visit Wayanad together in the coming days.
Political observers believe that Priyanka’s presence in Kerala will strengthen the Congress and UDF. With the local bodies and crucial assembly elections due in Kerala in less than two years, Priyanka’s maiden electoral battle will certainly galvanize the Congress and UDF cadres in Kerala.
