Safe seat for Rahul? Amethi has more Muslims compared to Wayanad

New Delhi, Apr 02: The Wayanad constituency in Kerala is in the news, thanks to the candidature of Rahul Gandhi. The Congress president decided to contest from two constituencies-Wayanad and Amethi.

The Wayanad constituency, which was formed 10 years back has elected the Congress twice. The key focus of the Congress would be on bagging a large chunk of the Muslim votes.

The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of chasing a safe seat as he fears, he may lose Amethi. However if one compares the two constituencies in terms of Muslim population, Amethi has a large number when compared to Wayanad.

The 2011 census states that the the percentage of Muslims in Wayanad is 28.65. However in Amethi, the number stands at 33.04 per cent.

Amethi has always been a Gandhi bastion and has been represented in the past by Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and now Rahul Gandhi. The constituency has an approximate population of 15 lakh and the main occupation is agriculture.

In the case of Wayanad, the population is 8.16 lakh. The 2011 census states that the Hindus constitute 49.48 per cent of the population and the Muslims 28.65 per cent. The Christians on the other hand account for 21.34 per cent of the population.