Rahul’s juggling act between Wayanad, Rae Bareli leaves Congress in Kerala in a bind
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s move to also contest from Rae Bareli, besides Wayanad, may be seen as a move to challenge the BJP in the Hindi heartland, but a win in both seats may put the party in a predicament in Kerala.
If Mr. Gandhi relinquishes Wayanad, many Congress leaders believe it will impact the party’s prospects in the Kerala Assembly elections in 2026.
Besides, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) could intensify its demand for a third seat in the event of a by-election in Wayanad, as the party has been maintaining that Mr. Gandhi’s core supporters are from the IUML in this constituency spread over three Assembly segments in Wayanad district, three in Malappuram, and one in Kozhikode. The looming vacancy of a winnable Rajya Sabha seat in July will also be something to factor in for the party leadership.
Left’s criticism
While Congress functionaries attempt to justify the move, stating that Mr. Gandhi’s candidature from Rae Bareli was to strengthen the INDIA bloc and that his presence was required in north India, the Opposition has said this as a “betrayal” of the people.
The BJP’s Central leadership — from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kerala’s State president K. Surendran, who is the NDA’s candidate from Wayanad — have said that Mr. Gandhi’s decision stemmed from “fear”, having lost Amethi, a constituency he won thrice consecutively (2004, 2009, and 2014) to BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019.
A face-o once again with Ms. Irani at Amethi, many Congress leaders feel, would have made for better optics instead of Mr. Gandhi choosing a safe seat in Uttar Pradesh. Others believe Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would have been a more suitable candidate for Rae Bareli.
Despite the Congress’s historical success in Rae Bareli, it cannot be considered a safe seat for Mr. Gandhi, as none of the ve Assembly segments in the constituency is held by the party.