Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to contest from Wayanad in Kerala besides Amethi, his constituency in Uttar Pradesh. The announcement came from AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy and was confirmed by state unit chief Mullappally Ramachandran.Though there was no confirmation from the Congress in Delhi, party leaders in Kerala sounded confident that Mr Gandhi would, indeed, also fight elections from Wayanad.
As an attempt to boost the Congress in south India, Rahul Gandhi will contest from north Kerala's Wayanad constituency because the race in Amethi for Mr Gandhi could be tighter this time.
The Wayanad seat has a strong presence of Muslim and Christian voters and the decision to field Rahul comes after party units in Tamil Naidu and Karnataka also sought his candidature.The move ,said Congress leaders, should boost the party's advantage in the state and display a commitment to minorities.
Congress's rival in the constituency is Lest and not BJP.While BJP's recent gains have made some seats in the state a triangular contest,Wayanad is not one of them.The move prompted Kerela CM Pinarayi Vijayan to ask Congress to consider if fielding Rahul Gandhi against Left in Kerela is a politically deft move.He also questions what message such contest will deliver to the nation and also asks that instead of BJP,they wants the Left to be defeated.
The news of Mr Gandhi standing for Lok Sabha elections from Kerala electrified the UDF in Kerala and Congress cadres were visibly euphoric.
