Wayanad is a safe bet for Rahul Gandhi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When the AICC leadership asked the KPCC to suggest a safe constituency for Rahul Gandhi to contest from Kerala, the choice was unanimous.


Wayanad lies in northern Kerala and shares border with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is the most sought-after seat in the state in the Congress camp. The constituency was carved out during the delimitation ahead of 2009 Lok Sabha elections. In the first election, Congress leader M I Shanavas won from Wayanad with a margin of over 1.53 lakh. He repeated the win in 2014 though with a much-reduced margin of over 20,000.


,a young CPI leader, here. BJP has allotted the seat to BDJS but chances are high that a senior BJP leader may contest from Wayanad now.

The constituency comprises of three Assembly segments each from Wayanad and Malappuram districts and one from Kozhikode. The constituency has majority of Muslim votes and Indian Union Muslim League, the second biggest partner in UDF, has considerable clout here. In three Malappuram constituency and the lone constituency in Kozhikode, League is a major force. Hindu population in Wayand district is 49.7%, while the presence of Christian and Muslim communities is 21.5, 28.8 percentage respectively. In Malappuram, the mix is such that 70.4 percent are Muslims, 27.5 percent Hindus and 2 percent Christians. Across the constituency, Muslims form nearly 56% of the 13,25,788 strong electorate.


Congress hopes to bag lion-share of minority votes by fielding Rahul Gandhi here. Minorities, especially Muslims, would see Rahul Gandhi as an ideal replacement to Narendra Modi. Though Jawaharlal Nehru had viewed Muslim League as a communal party, his successors in the family have always maintained cordial relation with Muslim League. Before finalising the decision, Congress high command had held talks with Panakad Hyderali Shihab Thangal, the supremo of League, who had extended a warm welcome to Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi, who has now positioned as a champion of farmers and agriculture labourers, can impress voters who are largely farmers and plantation labourers here. There had been farmer unrest following financial crisis triggered by several factors including the floods of 2018. Attempts to attach houses of farmers who lapsed loans are frequent here. Farmer unrest has resulted in the growth of Maoist activities in the region. Congress can level a two-pronged campaign, putting state and central governments in the dock, effectively here.

Wayanad district has the most number of SC and ST community members in the state. As much as 35.4% of Hindus in the district belong to SC communities while 7.6% of Hindus belong to ST Communities. Dalit rights is also an issue which Rahul Gandhi has been championing and this factor will give him a clear edge among SC/ST voters.

Tourism is also s thriving industry in the constituency. Resorts and home stays dot Wayanad which is mostly spread over a scenic Western Ghats. However, post-demonetisation, tourism industry is going through a tough face. Congress leaders feel Gandhi's stand against demonetisation and GST will gain currency among stakeholders of tourism industry.

Above all, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee is regarded as one of the few state committees which has its own well-oiled machinery to move campaign. Rahul Gandhi’s trusted lieutenant Mullappally Ramachandran and K C Venugopal will oversee campaign here along with veteran strategist Oommen Chandy and opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala. Gandhi will be free to carry on with his campaign elsewhere after submitting nomination papers as campaign will be safe at the hands of Kerala leaders.