As the voting for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections is underway, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is once again in the election arena from Kerala’s Wayanad constituency. This time, he faces a challenge from the BJP, particularly from candidate Surendran and CPI’s Annie Raja. In 2019, Rahul Gandhi won this seat for the first time, securing 706,367 votes, with a margin of more than 400,000 votes.
Triangular Contest in Wayanad
Wayanad is set for a triangular contest this time around. In the 2019 elections, Rahul Gandhi secured significant victories across all seven assembly segments of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. P.P. Sunil Kumar from CPI was the runner-up.
Congress Strength in the South
Wayanad constituency comprises 7 assembly seats, including Kalpetta, Mananthavadi, Sulthan Bathery, Thiruvambady, Eranad, Nilambur, and Wandoor. Kalpetta and Mananthavadi are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST), while Wandoor is reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC). According to the 2011 census, of the 817,420 population, Wayanad has 49.48% Hindus, 28.65% Muslims, and 21.34% Christians.
Discovering Wayanad
The name “Wayanad” is derived from the words “Vayal” and “Nadu,” meaning the land of paddy fields. Once famous for paddy, Wayanad has seen a shift towards profitable crops over time. Known as the Varanasi of the South, Wayanad became Kerala’s 12th district in 1980, later gaining the parliamentary seat in 2009.
Wayanad borders Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and is home to the country’s only Lava-Kush temple. It is renowned for its rich biodiversity, rubber, banana, tea, coffee, bamboo plantations, black pepper, and cardamom.
Facing Defeat in Amethi in 2019
Rahul Gandhi first contested the Lok Sabha elections from his father Rajiv Gandhi’s traditional seat, Amethi, in 2004. He won this election with a margin of over 100,000 votes. In the general elections of 2009, Rahul Gandhi contested again from Amethi, winning with a significant margin. In the 2009 elections, Congress won 21 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, largely due to Rahul Gandhi’s efforts.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi faced competition from BJP’s Smriti Irani in Amethi. It was during this time that Aam Aadmi Party fielded Kumar Vishwas. However, Rahul Gandhi emerged victorious and became the Member of Parliament from Amethi for the third consecutive time.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, although Smriti Irani once again contested against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, this time Rahul Gandhi faced defeat. However, he contested from Kerala’s Wayanad constituency and won.
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