Lok Sabha Election 2024 Kerala constituency profile: Rahul Gandhi, K Surendran, Annie Raja to fight in Wayanad
BJP's presence introduces increased competition and the potential for a realignment of voter allegiances, as the party aims to challenge the traditional dominance of the Congress-led UDF in Wayanad.
FollowAfter a prolonged anticipation for the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the electoral landscape in the district is now evident with the BJP announcing its candidate for the Wayanad constituency. How could the BJP change the landscape in this constituency, which saw Congress leader Rahul Gandhi win in the 2019 elections with the largest majority ever recorded in the state's history?
The Wayanad Lok Sabha seat has traditionally been a stronghold for the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala. In 2009, MI Shanawas secured victory with a substantial majority of 1,53,439 votes. However, in 2014, Shanawaz's margin decreased to 20,870 votes. The 2019 elections gained national attention when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contested from Wayanad as a UDF candidate, with CPI's PP Suneer representing the left wing and Thushar Vellapally from BDJS contesting for the NDA. With a remarkable voter turnout of 80.37%, Rahul Gandhi emerged victorious with a staggering majority of 4,31,770 votes, out of a total of 10,87,783 votes cast. Rahul secured 706,367 votes (64.94%), while Suneer received 274,597 votes (25.24%) and Thushar garnered 78,816 votes (7.25%).
Rahul Gandhi, representing the United Democratic Front (UDF), is contesting for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, while Annie Raja, a national leader of the CPI, is the candidate for the Left Democratic Front (LDF). While Annie Raja actively campaigns in Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi aims to connect directly with the constituency with minimal campaigning, banking on his popularity to secure another significant victory.
The BJP's state president, K Surendran, has decided to contest in Wayanad, aligning with the national strategy of mounting a robust challenge in Rahul Gandhi's constituency. Despite initially indicating that he wouldn't contest, Surendran has stepped up to the challenge. The key question now revolves around how much Surendran can increase the 7.25% voting percentage achieved by Thushar Vellappally in 2019 in Wayanad. It's noteworthy that since the establishment of the constituency, the NDA has struggled to secure more than 8% of the votes.
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