Rahul Gandhi to take on three namesakes in Wayanad polls

Wayanad, Apr 06: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will not only have to contend with political rivals in the general election from Wayand; but also will have to make sure that voters identify him correctly on the electronic voter machines when they vote on April 23.

Hours after the Congress chief filed his nomination papers before the returning officer in Wayanad on Thursday, much to the discomfort of congress workers, three other Sumalathas have surfaced, all of whom are contesting as independents.

Rahul Gandhi K E (33) submitted his nomination as an independent candidate. A resident of Erumeli village in Kottayam, Rahul Gandhi K E is a research scholar on folk music. His younger brother's name is Rajiv Gandhi K E.

There's also a fourth Gandhi in the race K M Sivaprasad Gandhi, a 40-year-old Sanskrit teacher from a Thrissur school.

In a similar situation in Karnataka, as many as four Sumalathas are contesting from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, including the multi-lingual film actress, who is standing as an independent candidate against Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil.

With namesake candidates often being fielded to hurt the chances of mainstream candidates by confusing voters, the Election Commission has introduced candidates' photographs on EVMs for the first time this election.