Omkar Dattatray
Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad foray brings cheer for BJP. It will accentuate and deepen the wedge between the Congress and the Communists in the southern state of Kerala. The decision is seen as an attempt by Congress to consolidate its elector's base in south India. Rahul Gandhi is contesting from Wayanad in addition to his family bastion of Amethi in U.P which he has been holding since 2014. Veteran Congress leader from Kerala and former Defense Minister A.K Antony made this announcement at a press conference on Sunday saying that Rahul Gandhi had consented to fight from Wayanad following requests from the state unit of Congress. The decision is seen as an attempt by Congress to consolidate its electoral base in South Indian especially Kerala which has 20 Lok Sabha seats. Contesting from Kerala is a message to the southern states that they are deeply valued and respected by Congress party.
Earlier, there was a clamor in Congress for Rahul's southern debut and sojourn to milk the visible anti-Modi sentiment in Tamil Nadu or from Karnataka where the party stitched an alliance with JD(S). As Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Karala, BJP leader Smirit Irani visited Amethi and attacked Rahul saying his decision to contest from Wayanad was an insult to Amethi. In Amethi Rahul Gandhi is pitted against Smiriti Irani. The decision to file nomination papers from Wayanad can be construed as running from Amethi. Is Rahul running from Amethi for fear of losing the elections against Smriti Irani of BJP? But given the fact that Amethi is the strong hold of Congress it has few takers in the electorate. Does Rahul fear to contest from Amethi only and hence filed his nomination papers from Kerala? Rahul's poll managers are making it sure that Rahul will not face any risks in the electoral battle and hence he is making political debut in southern Indian state of Kerala. Now it will be seen as to how will Rahul attract crowds and get votes in the Wayanad constituency. His success in Amethi as well as in Wayanad will be litmus test of his political sagacity and maturity as a politician.
Election battles are risky and these are more risky where there is a direct fight between two or more parties as is the case of fight between BJP and its rival Congress and Communists in Wayanad. So in Amethi as well as Rahul's new sojourn to Wayanad, the election battle is more though and therefore both the parties and the Communists in Kerala have to use all resources at their command to fight each other and come victorious. Wayanad is a rural district in Kerala state of Southern India. Rahul Gandhi will fight against three namesakes in Wayanad. ‘Overwhelmed by love' tweets Rahul Gandhi after Wayanad nomination. Hitching a helicopter ride to Wayanad Kerala, Rahul Gandhi was greeted by his sister Priyanka Vadra along with loud cheers from massive crowd of Congress workers waving party flags.
Rahul Gandhi handed over his nomination papers to returning officer. Congress leaders were pushing party president Rahul Gandhi to contest from a second seat in either Tamil Nadu or Karnataka in the Lok Sabha election to boost the party prospects in South India but Rahul choose Kerala instead. Congress had announced that Rahul Gandhi would contest from Amethi for the fourth time – he won the seat in 2004, 2009, 2014. Rahul is not the only Congress leader to be contesting from Kerala, in the past his grandmother Indira Gandhi and mother Sonia Gandhi have tasted electoral success in the state of kerala. But finally it was decided that Rahul will contest not only from Amethi but will also represent southern states as these are an important part of India's way of life, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surajwala said. He further said that Gandhi had said Amethi is his,” Karmaboomi and he will never leave it. The state units of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had requested him to contest from South India at a time when there are attacks on the language and culture from Modi government.” He said, “This is a fight to espouse the aspirations of south India. It is a fight to give a befitting reply to those forces that attack cultures, languages and way of life and also the deep connect between north and south India, between which BJP has created a division.”
Rahul is not the first Gandhi family member to go to south to contest. Before him his grandmother Indira Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi had fought elections in Kerala and won. But so far Rahul is concerned his new opening in Wayanad and its electoral results will show how correct were the poll managers of Congress who have persuaded and prevailed upon Rahul to contest from far off Kerala. Only time will tell the truth and let us wait and watch the political dangal in both Amethi and Wayanad. At present nothing certain can be said.
