Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: It seems that Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi is gearing up for a second consecutive electoral battle in Kerala’s Wayanad, ignoring concerns raised by the CPM and other Left parties. Their stance is that Rahul’s candidature in Wayanad could be detrimental to the unity of the Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A.
The Congress leader said on Wednesday that Wayanad was like home to him—an indication that he would seek a mandate from the high-range constituency again. “I consider it like coming back to my family and meeting my friends. The more I come to Kerala and Wayanad, the more I feel that it is my home,” Rahul said.
Earlier in the day, AICC general secretary Tariq Anwar also said in an interview with a news channel that there was no reason for Rahul to move out of Wayanad as he was very much attached to the constituency.
The CPM has been maintaining that even though the Congress may gain in Kerala with Rahul contesting from the state, it would affect the joint fight of the I.ND.I.A grouping, including Congress and the CPM, against the BJP in other states. This is because, in Kerala, the direct electoral fight is mainly between the Congress and the CPM-CPI.
Since the CPM is in power only in Kerala at present, it aims to get the maximum seats from southern state.