2019 Lok Sabha polls: Congress president Rahul Gandhi to 'positively consider' Kerala's Wayanad as second seat

NEW DELHI: Apart from Amethi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi is also likely to contest from Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala, announced Congress on Saturday.

Top Congress leaders in Kerala, including AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy and leader of opposition Ramesh Chennithala, have urged Rahul to contest from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat.

Speaking to the media in Kottayam, Chennithala said that he had already spoken to Rahul Gandhi when he visited Kerala earlier this month.



"Today, we have again put forward our request and I have already spoken to the Wayanad district Congress president, who also evinced huge interest," said Chennithala.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, "Rahul Gandhi has always said that Amethi is his 'Karmabhoomi' and it will remain so."

Surjewala, while speaking to media persons on Saturday said,"Kerala party workers have urged Rahul Gandhi to contest from Wayanad, one of the Lok Sabha seats in Kerala. We thank them for their immense love and affection. Congress president will positively consider it."

Wayanad is being seen as a safe seat for the Congress. Wayanad seat is vacant now after the demise of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president MI Shanavas last year. Shanavas was elected to the Lok Sabha for consecutive two terms-2009 and 2014.

The move is aimed at boosting the Congress in south India but also comes amid reports that the race in Amethi for Rahul could be tighter this time.

Earlier this week, BJP had announced Union minister Smriti Irani as its Lok Sabha candidate from Amethi + , pitching her opposite Rahul Gandhi. The seat has long been a stronghold of the Congress, which hasn't been defeated here in the last three decades barring 1998 when, the BJP's Sanjay Singh defeated Satish Sharma of the Congress by a margin of 23,270 votes. Amethi was regained by the Congress in 1999 when Sonia Gandhi was elected as MP from there.

In 2014 general election, Irani had contested against Rahul and lost by a margin of one lakh votes. The Congress's vote share dipped to 46 per cent in 2014 as against its earlier vote shares of 71 and 66 per cent in the 2009 and 2004 elections, respectively. The BJP, whose vote share in Amethi remained in the single digits in 2004, garnered 37 per cent of the votes cast in 2014.

Things became worrisome for the Congress after the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in 2017 when the BJP managed to win four of the five assembly seats under the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency.

Since her loss in 2014, Irani has frequently visited Amethi and kept party cadre in the constituency motivated by keeping in constant touch with them.