Congress leader and Member of Parliament (MP) of Kerala’s Wayanad took part in a COVID-19 review meeting in the Malappuram district of the state on Monday. The northern district has been seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases in recent days, reporting more than a thousand new cases on most days.

In the past three days, Malappuram recorded the highest number of cases in the state-- 1,399 on Sunday, 1,519 on Saturday and 1,025 cases on Friday.

The meeting was held at the district collectorate.

The Wayanad MP reached Malappuram on Monday on a three-day visit to his constituency, spread over the three districts of Malappuram, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.

After the review meeting, Rahul Gandhi handed over the key of a newly built house to sisters Kavya and Karthika, who had lost their parents and home in the Kavalappara landslide in Malappuram last year.

Kerala had witnessed two major landslides at Kavalappara in Malappuram and Puthumala in Wayanad districts, triggered by heavy rains in August last year in which at least 113 people were killed.

Congress leaders, including Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Mullapally Ramachandran and leader of opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala, were among those who were present to receive the former All India Congress Committee (AICC) president who landed at Kozhikode International airport in nearby Karipur around 12 noon.

Rahul Gandhi will be attending a COVID-19 review meeting in Wayanad and the district coordination committee meeting on central-sponsored schemes at Kalpetta civil station on Tuesday morning.

The Congress leader will visit Mananthavady COVID-19 hospital on October21 before leaving for Delhi from Kannur.

Rahul Gandhi’s last visit to his constituency was in December last year during which he visited the family of Shehla Sherin, a schoolgirl who died of snake bite at her school in Wayanad.

(With PTI input)