Congress President Rahul Gandhi will be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad constituency in Kerala as well, senior leader AK Anthony announced on Sunday, 31 March.
“Rahul ji has given his consent to contest from two seats, very happy to inform you that he will also contest from Wayanad in Kerala,” Anthony said.
Gandhi will also be contesting the polls from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, the Gandhi family’s stronghold. This will be the first time Gandhi is fighting the elections from two seats.
‘Priority to Remove BJP’
Reacting to the news, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that Gandhi should have contested from a constituency where BJP is contesting.
“He's fighting in one of the 20 constituencies (in Kerala) and doesn't need to be seen as any different. We'll fight him. He should have contested from a constituency where BJP is contesting, it's nothing but a fight against the Left,” Vijayan said, reported ANI.
CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the priority was to remove BJP. “We are very clear, this election is an important one that will decide whether a secular democracy will survive or not. Removing BJP is our priority.”
“Coming here and fighting against LDF, what message this conveys, that Congress has to decide. Any party can decide which candidate will contest from which seat but what's the message they want to convey, they'll have to explain to the people,” he added.
CPI leader D Raja also questioned the decision of the Congress, saying it made no sense.
"This makes no sense. I don't understand what politics the Congress is playing here. There is no BJP to fight in Kerala, it is the Left versus the Congress-led UDF. By choosing a constituency in Kerala for Rahul Gandhi, what message is the Congress conveying to the country," Raja asked.
"The primary objective is to defeat the BJP, how does this move help in that? We are not going to withdraw our candidate from the seat. Rahul Gandhi has to answer to the people of this country," he said, reported PTI.
Prakash Karat, CPI(M) ex-General Secretary said that the decision showed that the Congress would be targeting the Left in the state.
“To pick a candidate like Rahul Gandhi against Left means that Congress is going to target the Left in Kerala. This is something which we will strongly oppose and in this election we will work to ensure the defeat of Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad,” he said, speaking to ANI.
“The decision of Congress to field Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad shows their priority now is to fight against Left in Kerala. It goes against Congress' national commitment to fight BJP, as in Kerala it's LDF which is the main force fighting BJP there,” he added.
AAP Questions Wayanad Choice
AAP leader Gopal Rai on Sunday questioned the intention of the Congress behind fielding its president Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad, saying the grand old party needs to clarify if it was under pressure by the Centre to split anti-BJP votes.
The Congress has announced that Gandhi would be contesting the elections from the Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala, besides Amethi.
"There appears to be a contradiction between the publicly stated strategy of the Congress of getting rid of the Modi government and its intentions," Rai said.
"Instead of concentrating attention on removing a dictatorial and anti-federal regime, the Congress seems to be dividing votes where the anti-BJP forces are strong. Look at what the Congress is doing in UP, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh" the AAP leader said.
"Now, by going to Kerala, where the Left Front is strong and the BJP has no presence, what signal is the Congress giving? Why not some other state like Karnataka or Tamil Nadu," Rai asked.
Instead of concentrating on states where there is a direct BJP-Congress fight, the Congress is attacking regions which have presence of strong anti-BJP forces, he added.
"Even in Delhi, the Congress has been in a state of confusion since the last three months and is unable to decide whether it wants to defeat the BJP or not," he said.
"Anti-BJP parties are unable to understand what the Congress wants to achieve. Is the Congress serious about removing a dictatorial regime?" Rai said.
Has Escaped to Kerala: Amit Shah
Reacting to the news, BJP President Amit Shah said that Gandhi was trying to win on the politics of polarisation. “I read on WhatsApp that Rahul Gandhi has run towards Kerala, leaving Amethi behind. Why has he escaped to Kerala? All of you know that this time Rahul Gandhi is done for in Amethi. So he is going to Kerala in a bid to win on the politics of polarisation,” Shah said, speaking at a rally in Nagina, Uttar Pradesh.
Union Minister Maneka Gandhi also reacted to the news, saying it was Gandhi’s choice. “It's up to him where he wants to contest from, how will I know if he got scared or not?” she told ANI. “All I know is we will win from both the seats,” she added.
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said that Rahul Gandhi is contesting from two Lok Sabha seats "out of fear", adding that the former will be defeated in Amethi by BJP leader and Union minister Smriti Irani.
An upbeat Rupani went on to add that two Rajya Sabha seats will fall vacant from Gujarat as both Irani, from Amethi, and party chief Amit Shah from Gandhinagar, will win their Lok Sabha contests.
Both Shah and Irani are Rajya Sabha MPs from Gujarat.
"It appears Rahul Gandhi has decided to contest from two (Lok Sabha) seats out of fear (of defeat in Amethi). Smritiben Irani will win," he told reporters.
"I believe sentiments expressed by journalists in Gujarat that two Rajya Sabha seats will fall vacant is right. This is why he has decided to contest from two seats," Rupani claimed.
Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday took a potshot at Rahul Gandhi, claiming that the Congress chief is feeling "uncomfortable, insecure and helpless in Amethi", his Lok Sabha constituency for three terms in a row.
"Rahul Gandhi is feeling uncomfortable, insecure and helpless in Amethi. So he chose to contest Wayanad seat considering it as safe because of its ethnic profile," the senior BJP leader said.
Bridge Between North and South: TNCC
The Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) on Sunday, hailed party chief Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Wayanad in Kerala, besides Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, saying he was acting as a 'bridge' to join the north and the south.
TNCC President KS Alagiri, who had earlier urged Gandhi to contest from Tamil Nadu for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, said the Congress chief's decision to contest from Wayanad is a "matter of pride" for south Indians.
"The speciality about Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency is that it borders Nilgiris and Theni in Tamil Nadu, and Mysuru and Samraj Nagar in Karnataka."
"The decision (to pick Wayanad) by Rahul Gandhi will be seen as him acting as a bridge linking India's north and south," he said in a statement.
It amounts to representing the south Indian people's language, culture and heritage, he said.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also hailed the decision and said it would give incredible momentum to what was likely to be a UDF sweep in the state.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)