One major factor that proved the significance of the Kerala seat to the Congress party was the proposal for selecting Priyanka Gandhi to compete from Wayanad.
The speculation about the Congress’s star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi contesting the election has been finally put to rest as the party declared that the Gandhi sister is ready to vote for the first time in Wayanad, Kerala.
Owing to the recent Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi has decided to continue from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh – a stronghold of the Gandhi family which the present Congress president represented for four terms.
Admittedly, the term electoral debut of Priyanka Gandhi was anticipated in the 2019 polls, however, the Congress general secretary had expressed certain concerns with all three Gandhis in Parliament initially.
The fact that Priyanka Gandhi has now agreed to contest the polls highlights the significance Wayanad had in the Congress. This was evident in Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with the media on Monday, where he warned the government against going ahead with the move.
Welcome to Wayanad, Smt. Priyanka Gandhi ji. 🙏🙏❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥 #PGV @priyankagandhi @INCKerala @INCUttarPradesh @ProfCong pic.twitter.com/E6eXUL3x26
— Aadil Azis (@aadilazis) June 18, 2024
The Wayanad people gave me support and morale to stand and fight in a very bad time, I will never forget that, said Rahul Gandhi speaking about 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Rahul Gandhi got elected in Wayanad in 2019 while his party suffered a major blow, he himself lost Amethi the family bastion to Smriti Irani the BJP candidate. The Wayanad seat was retained by the former Congress chief in 2024 and he defeated the CPI-M candidate Annie Raja by over 3,64,422 majority.
Furthermore, Wayanad has been traditionally dominated by Congress and it will be a cakewalk for Priyanka Gandhi.
Some political commentators opined that it brought assures the Gandhi family representation in both the northern and southern regions.
Political analyst Manisha Priyam, in the words of India Today, opines that the central leadership of the Congress party reposes much significance on the southern state, particularly on Kerala.
Speaking to reporters, she said that she does not believe it was a dropping of the name Wayanad; rather, it was embracing Wayanad.
मेरा Raibreli और wayanad से इमोशनल रिश्ता है, मैं वायनाड का सांसद रहा हूं।
मैं वायनाड की जनता को धन्यवाद देना चाहता हूं 🙏🏻
वायनाड से उपचुनाव @priyankagandhi लड़ेंगी, मैं आप सबके बीच बना रहूंगा।
– @RahulGandhi जी pic.twitter.com/0uAO23Bh1t
— Satara Congress Sevadal (@SevadalSTA) June 18, 2024
Priyam chipped in saying that Wayanad is still extremely significant for the Gandhi family; however, they as a party do not have any direct entry into Tamil Nadu; in Karnataka, there is DK Shivakumar the deputy chief minister of the state; If Priyanka directly enters the poll. The leadership is now attempting to state that the Congress party is directly dipping its hands in the election pot in Kerala especially when the BJP vote percentage is
By making this move, the Congress also deflects allegations that, despite the party’s strong electoral performance, the Gandhi family ignored the South.
According to Rasheed Kidwai, another analyst, it’s a wise decision that will strengthen the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
As seen throughout the election campaign, Priyanka Gandhi has proven to be a skilled orator and mass mobilizer, further solidifying her reputation as the Congress’s go-to mediator and troubleshooter.
“After losing the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh legislative elections, the Congress was experiencing an existential crisis. This action will make the Congress a more formidable rival to the BJP. Kidwai went on, “The Congress has moved from being defensive to offensive.
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