Wayanad is once again drawing national attention as Rahul Gandhi is seeking a mandate from the Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala.

Wayanad shot to fame after Congress fielded its prominent leader from the Gandhi family from the constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The election in the constituency is being watched keenly as it is a tough contest between allies of the INDIA bloc. The Congress and the CPI, which are part of the Opposition bloc, are vying with each other for the key Lok Sabha seat in the southern state.

The CPI has fielded its senior leader, Annie Raja, against Rahul Gandhi while the BJP’s Kerala unit chief, K Surendran, is also in the fray thus making it a three-way battle

Annie Raja is the wife of CPI general secretary D Raja and holds the post of general secretary in the party’s National Federation of Indian Women. She’s also a member of the national executive of CPI.

When the CPI announced the candidature of Annie for Wayanad, it hoped that sitting MP Rahul Gandhi of the Congress would shift his constituency elsewhere. But the Kerala unit of the Congress put pressure on the high command to convince Rahul to contest from Wayanad again.

Congress leaders in Kerala believe Rahul contesting from the state would set off a ripple effect and brighten the prospects of the party in a few other seats as well.

In 2019, Rahul Gandhi won from the constituency, defeating P P Suneer of the CPI by a whopping margin 4,31,770 votes. He secured 706,367 votes as against Suneer’s 274,597 votes. The BJP-backed BDJS candidate Thushar Vellappally could manage only 78,816 votes.

Wayanad consists of seven assembly constituencies, Mananthavady, Kalpetta, Sulthan Bathery, Thiruvambady, Nilambur, Wandoor and Eranad. During the 2021 assembly poll, four went in favour of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and three with the CPI-M-led Left Democratic Front(LDF). The Wayanad constituency predominantly comprises tribals, the marginalised and the minority communities. Muslim voters constitute around 41.3 per cent of the population while Christians are around 13.7 per cent.

The sprawling Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency has its own set of challenges. The region has been witnessing man-wild animal conflict. Rahul as a local MP so far has failed to address this burning issue.

Farmers and Adivasis constitute a chunk of voters in Wayanad. They make up 40 per cent of the electorate. The farmer here is affected by climate change. He is the victim of public and private moneylenders; is hit by the free-fall of farm-produce prices and is dogged and dragged by wild animals.

There is perceptible resentment here against the Pinarayi Vijayan Government which is bound to impact the voters of Wayanad too. There is a strong anti-incumbency sentiment among the voters due to multiple reasons. The state is now facing an unprecedented financial crisis.

By fielding its state president K Surendran against Rahul Gandhi, the BJP is sending out a message that the party is not taking the fight in Wayanad lightly.

Surendran contested from the Pathanamthitta LS seat in 2019 in the backdrop of the Sabarimala entry-for-ladies controversy and polled 2.97 lakh votes, the biggest vote gain ever for the saffron party in central Kerala.

The BJP is of the view that in 2019 there was a strong feeling that Congress would return to power and Rahul Gandhi would become prime minister. However, this time, there is no such feeling in Rahul’s favour.

The BJP aims to bring down Rahul’s victory margin of 4.3 lakh votes in 2019 fielding party state president K Surendran. It expected to give a tough fight to the Gandhi scion as the party made an upsurge in its popular mass base in Kerala, including in Wayanad in recent years.

The LDF has a strong presence in the Wayanad constituency. Of the seven Assembly constituencies, three are with the LDF. The LDF government is trying to overcome anti-incumbency by raising the issue of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) vociferously.

The CAA notification has come as a blessing in disguise for the ruling CPI-M. With an eye on the minority votes, LDF star campaigners are taking up the issue in right earnest while highlighting atrocities against Christians in Manipur and north Indian states in their election meetings across the state.

Political pundits suggest that the state is not experiencing a discernible wave in favour of Rahul Gandhi this time around. With the campaigning gaining momentum, the Congress leader has the upper hand. He will though win comfortably, and cannot expect a landslide victory this time that he had achieved last time.