If there is one seat in Kerala where the Congress slackens its campaign during parliamentary elections, it is Wayanad. This time too, the Congress is far behind the Left in the number of campaign rounds they have done while the Left has the early bird and local candidate advantage.
However, the otherwise serene district has swung into action ever since Congress President Rahul Gandhi announced on March 31 that he would contest from Wayanad as his second seat (the first being Amethi). Wayanad is where the Congress has been winning for decades and with the entry of Rahul Gandhi, the party is looking for a clean sweep.
Unlike in any other constituency in the state, Wayanad has witnessed heavyweight leaders of the three political fronts in the state campaigning in the last week, thanks to the high-profile candidate.
Rounding off the Congress campaign is AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on her second visit to Wayanad after her sibling filed his nomination on April 4.
Priyanka addressed a public meeting in Mananthavady on Saturday morning. “What the BJP has done over the past five years is nothing but to divide the country. They have been trying to distort what the country stands for,” she said.
She also addressed public meetings in Nilambur and Areekode apart from addressing a farmers’ meet in Pulppally.
Pic: Rahul Gandhi for Wayanad Facebook Page
On Sunday, Priyanka visited the family of Vasanthakumar, the Kerala jawan who was killed in the Pulwama terror attack in February.
Priyanka had accompanied Rahul when he came to Wayanad to file his nomination, and together both had embarked on an impressive road show.
Rahul Gandhi made his second visit to Wayanad on Wednesday. Though he spent nearly two hours in the constituency, he made a loud statement by visiting the Thirunelly Vishnu Temple in an apparent move to counter the BJP’s politics that revolve around beliefs and faiths, especially after the entry of women of all ages to the Sabarimala temple.
In a strong political statement, Rahul offered obeisance not only to the souls of his father and his ancestors but also to those of the CRPF men killed at Pulwama. One of the 32 urns with his father's ashes had been immersed in this temple.
Pic: Rahul Gandhi for Wayanad Facebook Page
After filing his nomination, Rahul had said that he would not speak against the Left, lending credence to speculation that the Left and the Congress were likely to unite for an alliance depending on the poll results.
Grand show by the Left
The Left on its part organised a grand campaign that silenced rumours that the front would give up easily, given the probability of Congress-Left unity at the national level post the elections.
PP Suneer of the CPI is the LDF candidate for Wayanad.
According to reports, Suneer has personally met three lakh voters while Rahul Gandhi – thanks to his hectic schedule and tight security – could not interact personally with the electorate.
“Rahul Gandhi is one of the two candidates in Wayanad. People don’t require an MP whom they can’t approach to submit a memorandum. Also our fight emphasises the politics of the Left, it is a fight between ideologies and not between individuals. What has the Congress done for the constituency despite being elected all these years,” Suneer had said when TNM met him during his campaign.
There are even those who believe that the Left could have won if the Congress had picked someone else considering the declining majority of the party. “But we will win even though Rahul Gandhi is the candidate,” Suneer said.
A road show in Kalpetta, the district headquarters, a day after Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination was a show of strength by the Left.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the star campaigner for the LDF, took out two rallies in Wayanad. A road show by CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury along with Suneer in the constituency was a similar crowd-puller.
Seeing the people’s participation, writer NS Madhavan took a jibe at BJP President Amit Shah on Twitter, asking, “LDF procession in Wayanad. Now Amit Shah will say Wayanad is in China?”
CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat campaigned for the Left as well. Also the LDF has assigned cadres from the neighbouring districts to work for Suneer.
BJP’s campaign
For the Congress, its ally the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has been offering immense support in the constituency. The IUML has been as active as the Congress in campaigning for Rahul. It was seeing the green IUML flags at Rahul Gandhi’s road show that Amit Shah had said, “one cannot make out whether the place is India or Pakistan.”
The NDA’s candidate is Thushar Vellappally. The BJP gave the seat to Bharath Dharma Jana Sena’s Thushar after Rahul Gandhi’s candidacy was finalised. Earlier, Thushar had been fielded from Thrissur.
Thushar has also been actively campaigning. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in the neighbouring Kozhikode on April 12. Among other BJP leaders, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman embarked on a road show in Sultan Bathery on Sunday.