Wayanad, Chelakkara bypolls campaign end

On the last day of her campaign in Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi was accompanied by her brother Rahul Gandhi.

Thiruvananthapuram: The open campaign for the November 13 bypoll to Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala ended with road shows by Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi with high hopes of a thumping victory for the former in her electoral debut.

The Chelakkara Assembly seat in Thrissur district, which is also going to the polls on November 13, also witnessed the culmination of an intense campaign with the ruing CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) trying to retain its sitting seat since 1996 by countering Congress-led United Democratic Front's (UDF) efforts to wrest the seat by cashing in on the anti-incumbency against the Pinarayi Vijayan government.

BJP, which has been trying their luck by triggering communally toned row over the Wakf land issue of Munambam in Kochi, received a shot in the arm on the final day of the campaign with reports of five families in Wayanad too facing Wakf land claim on their land.

On the last day of her campaign, Priyanka was accompanied by her brother and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi in two roads shows - at Sultan Battery in Wayanad district and Thiruvambady in Kozhikode district, which is also part of the Wayanad LS constituency.

Both of them continued to highlight Rahul's bonding with Wayanad in their final campaign speeches too and Priyanka even spoke in Malayalam that 'Njan vegam thirichu varum', means she will return soon to Wayanad (as MP).

While Congress camps are targeting a victory margin of five lakh votes for the Nehru scion, the key opponents, LDF candidate Sathyan Mokeri and NDA candidate Navya Haridas, were expressing high hopes by citing 'poor performance' of Rahul as Wayanad MP for five years.

They cite the fall in Rahul's victory margin from 4.3 lakhs in 2019 to 3.6 lakhs in 2024. But Congress camps are hopeful of cashing in on Priyanka's charisma and legacy of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Meanwhile, the Chelakkara bypoll is more crucial to the LDF to save its face from the setback suffered in the general election earlier this year by facing defeat in 19 of the 20 seats.

A series of recent incidents including the suicide of additional district magistrate Naveen Babu allegedly owing to snubbing by CPI(M) woman leader P P Divya and the row over Wakf land claim over the property of around 610 families are among the causes for concern for the LDF camps.

In a damage control bid Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday met the leaders of the action council of Munambam residents and reportedly gave favourable assurance.

While Congress fielded former MP Ramya Haridas at Chelakkara, CPI(M) fielded former MLA U R Pradeep and BJP fielded local leader K Balakrishnan.

Chelakkara is going to the polls owing to the election of former MLA and senior CPI(M) leader K Radhakrishnan to the Lok Sabha.