Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad: Voters have low expectations, more curiosity for ‘Indira granddaughter’

In posters, Priyanka is depicted as the next ‘iron woman’, just like her grandmother.

Again, green is prominent, with the crowds holding balloons in colours of the Congress but also the shade identified with its ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML). The BJP’s aggressive push in Kerala has put the Congress’s long-running alliance with the IUML in uneasy terrain.

But on Tuesday, the second day of Priyanka’s campaign for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat bypoll, covering Malappuram district, little of that tension is visible, as the crowd jostles to catch a glimpse of her.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during one of her rallies in Wayanad. (Express Photo)

Before Priyanka addresses the crowd, P K Basheer, the MLA of the Eranad segment falling in Wayanad, exhorts voters: “The target for the margin from Urangattiri panchayat (Therattammal is part of it) is 12,000 votes. We should ensure that maximum votes are cast on November 13.”

Priyanka begins her speech by thanking Wayanad’s voters for picking Rahul Gandhi as their MP for the second time in this year’s Lok Sabha polls. He retained Rae Bareli, the other constituency he won from, vacating Wayanad, hence creating the vacancy that Priyanka is seeking to fill.

She then goes on to talk about how Rahul has been targeted by the BJP. “The current government at the Centre launched a massive campaign to create an incorrect picture of Rahul Gandhi, took away his membership (Rahul was disqualified as an MP after conviction in a defamation case, but then reinstated), abused him in public. But he fought for the truth like a true warrior,” she says.

Priyanka adds that she is “deeply proud” of Wayanad “because the people here gave him the strength, support and courage to fight”. “It’s not a battle of Rahul Gandhi alone. It’s the battle of the entire country.”

Raising the issues of Malappuram, Priyanka says these are distinct from those of the Wayanad district and she wanted to learn more about them. “We have so many well-educated young people here. This place is a hub of soccer and many young boys are great players. They need more opportunities in sports,” she says.

In meeting after meeting, Priyanka repeats the same, especially the faith Wayanad has shown in Rahul.

Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad. (Express Photo)

Ishiba, a homemaker, among hundreds of women in the crowd, says she has no doubt Priyanka will win, and admits her family’s hold. “We see Priyanka as an extension of Indira Gandhi. Her fight is for a cause and we have hope in such leaders,” Ishiba says.

Ummer, an IUML worker, admits the undercurrents between the party and the Congress. On the absence of any party flags at the meetings, Ummer, a trader, says, “This was done to avoid any controversy. We are fighting as a united front.”

However, he is not sure about an increase in the victory margin – from 3.64 lakh votes that separated Rahul from the CPI’s Annie Raja candidate in the Lok Sabha polls. This, in fact, was a fall from the 4.31 lakh votes by which Rahul won in 2019. “We mobilised maximum votes the last two times,” Ummer says.

During the day, Priyanka makes an unscheduled visit to Siji P J, a single mother of three, including two differently-abled children, who lost her house in last year’s floods. She was one of the beneficiaries of the housing project ‘Kaithangu’ initiated by Rahul.

In Engapuzha, which falls under Kozhikode district, the IUML volunteer brigade called the White Guard is active in the arrangements for Priyanka’s show. Among those listening to Priyanka talk about Rahul, the Wayanad landslide and the “inadequate relief”, is a farmer named Joy, who says he came to the town to buy provisions and stopped by to hear her.

At Siji’s home with her children. (Express Photo)

“I am a Congress worker, but I do not have any expectations. Rahul did not work to better farmers’ lives and improve Wayanad’s connectivity… People are fed up,” Joy says, adding that at least Priyanka is attracting crowds due to the novelty factor.

During the course of the day, Priyanka raises farmer issues in Mampad, an agricultural belt, where she accuses the Union government of writing off loans of corporates but neglecting farmers. On way to Mampad, she stops to watch a local football match and meet the players.

Jumaina, a homemaker at Priyanka’s meeting in Mampad, also talks about the curiosity factor. “If it were some other candidate, we would have been too lazy to come. It is the surname that makes this election interesting. Elders say she is like Indira Gandhi,” says Jumaina.