New Delhi: The Left parties on Friday expressed their strong resentment a day after Congress fielded Rahul Gandhi as its candidate from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala. “This time we are fighting together against the BJP. Congress being the largest party in the INDIA bloc alliance should look into the overall prospects of the alliance partners while fielding their candidates,” opined Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D Raja speaking to ETV Bharat.
Rahul will take on CPI’s Annie Raja, who is the general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women in the Wayanad constituency. Annie Raja is the wife of D Raja. K Surendran is the BJP candidate from the Wayanad constituency. Significantly, Wayanad has elected Congress candidates since it was formed after the redrawing of constituencies in 2008.
Former Congress Working Committee president of Kerala, the late MI Shanavas, was elected from Wayanad in 2009 and 2014. Rahul Gandhi won this seat in 2019. In the last Parliamentary election, Rahul Gandhi secured a significant victory in Wayanad, winning by 4,31,770 votes over his competitor from CPI PP Suneer.
Criticising the candidature of the Nehru-Gandhi scion from the Wayanad constituency, Raja said that the people of Wayanad and the people of Kerala are watching. “People of Kerala can’t be taken for granted. People have started raising questions as to why Rahul Gandhi chose to contest from Wayanad. And why the Congress party decided to field Rahul Gandhi against CPI in Wayanad,” said Raja.
According to Raja, Rahul Gandhi could have contested from any Hindi belt seat to give a strong fight to BJP. “He (Rahul Gandhi) could have contested from any other Lok Sabha seat in Kerala, but not from the Wayanad constituency,” Raja stated.
Rahul Gandhi organised two yatras, including Bharat Jodo and Bharat Nyay Yatra. During his two yatras, his focus was to attack and criticise the politics of the BJP and RSS. When it comes to electoral battles, Gandhi has not chosen to fight the BJP straightway, Raja pointed out.
“He has chosen to fight against the Left. This is what people are questioning. In Kerala, the main fight will be between the LDF and UDF. There was no question if any local Congress leader was fighting from Wayanad,” Raja said. Echoing the same view, Communist Party of India (Marxist) former general secretary Prakash Karat said that Rahul Gandhi could have contested from any other Lok Sabha seat. “Like us, the Congress should also follow the principle of seat sharing formula with the INDIA Bloc alliance,” said Karat and added, “Only because of our understanding with other opposition partners we are contesting in only 50 Lok Sabha seats this time.”
However, CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that political understanding at the national level and contesting elections differ from state to state. “However, it could have been, had there been an understanding among Left and Congress over Wayanad, because we are fighting together against BJP,” said Yechury. It is worth mentioning that polling in all 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala will take place on April 26. The last date for withdrawal of candidates is April 8.
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