© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Putting speculation to rest, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh on Friday, evoking sharp responses from both the BJP and the Left in Kerala. But the people of Wayanad said that Rahul, who entered the Lower House of Parliament from the seat in 2019 after losing the family turf of Amethi to Union Minister Smriti Irani, would not leave the seat even if he won both. Wayanad voted in the second phase on April 26 with the rest of the constituencies in Kerala.
As the Congress announced that Rahul would also contest from Raebareli, a seat inextricably linked to the Nehru-Gandhi family, the BJP and the Left dubbed it a “betrayal of the people of Wayanad”. During his campaign in Wayanad, Rahul did not give any hint of contesting in UP, which at that time led to criticism from the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), the main rival of Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala, that the Congress leader had “run away from Hindi heartland”.
But a general impression of the people of Wayanad is that he will prefer to retain the constituency if he also wins Rae Bareli. M V Paulose, a farmer at Pulpally in Wayanad, is of the view that Wayand “saved Rahul in the 2019 elections”. “We hope he will retain this seat if he also wins from Rae Bareli. We are sure he will win in Wayanad, which is always the safest seat for the Congress. People are not against Rahul contesting from Rae Bareli. Last time also he contested two seats, but it did not impact the results in Wayanad,” he said.
When Rahul campaigned in Wayanad this time, he tried to strike a chord with the voters by calling himself a family member of the people — a “brother and a son of Wayanad”. His campaign rallies and roadshows were bereft of the flags of the Congress or any other constituent of the UDF, including the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
At Muttil in Wayanad, IUML worker M K Ali welcomed Rahul’s decision to contest in Rae Bareli. “Many people are discussing the (Rahul’s) decision. Most people welcomed it as it was a fitting reply to the BJP campaign. If Rahul contesting from Rae Bareli helps the INDIA bloc win a few more seats, why should we object? When he came to contest in Wayanad, there was already a buzz that he might contest from another seat. Wayanad is a sure (victory) for Rahul. We don’t know what will happen in Rae Bareli, but he cannot abandon Wayanad,” he said.
Jose Nelledom, an independent member at Mullankolly panchayat, said, “Rahul has always claimed Wayanad is his second home. Going by that, he will have to retain this seat. When Amethi did not support him despite the family’s emotional attachment to the seat, the people of Wayanad ensured a huge victory for him. He is a national leader and people understand the national political scenario. So, I think people will back his decision,’’ he said.
Hussain, a native of Meppadi, said, “We hope Rahul retains Wayanad. We love him. He has done a lot for the poor in the constituency,” he said.
Wayanad saw a 73.57% turnout in 2024 compared to 79.77% in 2019 but Congress sources said they were unperturbed by the decline. “Many youngsters have gone abroad for higher studies or jobs. The dip in turnout was primarily because of that,’’ said one of them.
