Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Here's How Wayanad Reacts After Rahul Gandhi Files Nomination From UP's Raebareli

Days after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination from the Raebareli seat, mixed reactions started to come in from people of his current constituency Wayanad. Elections were held in Kerala's Wayanad on April 26, where Rahul Gandhi faced a tough challenge from CPI's Annie Raja. To book his berth for the 18th Lok Sabha, Congress gave a safe seat, Raebareli, to Rahul Gandhi, where his mother and former Congress Working Committee (CWC) chief Sonia Gandhi was a member of parliament.

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's decision, the people of Wayanad told the media that Rahul Gandhi has all the rights to contest from two seats and there was nothing wrong in it.

A voter of Wayanad said, "He (Rahul Gandhi) is leading the INDIA bloc and hence there is nothing wrong if he contests from two seats," while another local said, "if he wins from both the seats, it's most likely that he will vacate the Wayanad seat."

However, some people said that if Rahul Gandhi chooses Raebareli over Wayanad, it might not look good to the people of Kerala.

"The fact of the matter is we (IUML) requested the Congress party's national leadership that Rahul should contest from one more seat other than Wayanad. Did not PM Modi contest from two seats in the past? We feel that this decision will be a boost for the INDIA bloc," said Mr Kunhalikutty.

Earlier, hitting out at Congress MP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a public rally had said that Rahul Gandhi will run away from Wayanad also, like he ran from Amethi after facing a humiliating defeat.

Rahul lost Congress' bastion in 2019 to BJP's Smriti Irani with a margin of 55,000 votes.

However, Congress workers and locals wanted Rahul Gandhi to face Smriti Irani once again as he had defeated her in 2014 despite the Modi wave.