Congress President Rahul Gandhi will file his nomination from Wayanad on Thursday, accompanied by his sister and Congress general secretary in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. On March 31, senior Congress leader AK Antony had announced that Rahul will contest from Wayanad parliamentary constituency in addition to Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. Earlier today, Rahul had said that there was a demand for him to contest from Kerala as Southern India feels Prime Minister Modi is "hostile" towards it. Moreover, AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy had said Rahul's candidature from Wayanad would bring national recognition to Kerala. Advertisement Kerala, which has 20 Lok Sabha seats, goes to polls in a single phase on April 23. Counting of votes will take place on May 23. (ANI) (This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)<doc-sep>The Wayanad seat has a strong presence of Muslim and Christian voters and the decision to field Rahul comes after party units in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also sought his candidature. The move, said Congress leaders, should boost the party’s advantage in the state and display a commitment to minorities. Rahul Gandhi may contest from Wayanad in Kerala: KPCC chief NEW DELHI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress president Rahul Gandhi is likely to contest a second parliamentary seat from Wayanad in Kerala — a “safe” constituency for the party — in what is seen as a bid to boost Congress’s prospects in the south and send a political signal to minority voters.The Wayanad seat has a strong presence of Muslim and Christian voters and the decision to field Rahul comes after party units in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka also sought his candidature. The move, said Congress leaders, should boost the party’s advantage in the state and display a commitment to minorities.Congress’s rival in the constituency is Left and not BJP. While BJP’s recent gains have made some seats in the state a triangular contest, Wayanad is not one of them. The move prompted Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan to ask Congress to consider if fielding Rahul Gandhi against the Left in Kerala is a politically deft move. “What message will such a contest send out to the nation? Do they want to say instead of BJP, it is the Left that needs to be defeated?” he asked.Congress sources said they have factored in the likely allegation that the second seat option reflects unease over the situation in the family bastion of Amethi , but said the party has worked out its advantages. The decision will help create a buzz over the Congress chief’s engagement with south India and the minority calculation is a significant plus.While an announcement can take place as early as Sunday, Congress said Rahul Gandhi will positively consider the proposal of the Kerala unit. Kerala Congress president Mullapally Ramachandran spoke to the media about the Wayanad proposal and party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said a decision will be taken soon.“Southern state PCCs, lakhs of Congress workers and the people of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala have urged Rahul Gandhi to contest the Lok Sabha election from these states. Their sentiments are deeply valued and respected,” said Surjewala.Congress strategists believe a Gandhi family member pitching the poll tent in the south can maximise the party’s gains in key states. That DMK, Congress’s ally in Tamil Nadu, has been at the forefront of projecting Rahul as the PM candidate is seen as a positive factor in the region.The negative with Wayanad is that it is considered among the safest seats for Congress, with a significant presence of minorities and the Left as rival — which can blunt the bid to project the move as an aggressive outreach. However, the minority factor is said to count even though BJP can be expected to argue that it reflects the party’s penchant for “appeasement” through its political signalling.The gambit might also be factoring in the possibility that Prime Minister Narendra Modi might be considering a seat in south India too just as he chose Varanasi to reach out to north India.On earlier occasions, Indira Gandhi (Medak, Chikamagalur) contested from the south as also Sonia Gandhi (Bellary). But these were defensive moves, with leaders seeking safe havens. Since then, such safe constituencies have been shrinking and Wayanad may be one of the few still left.Former Kerala CM Oommen Chandy, while speaking to reporters at Ranni in Pathanamthitta recently, requested Rahul Gandhi to contest from Kerala. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said he had made a request for Wayanad too.Carved out as a new constituency in 2009, Wayand was won by Congress candidate M I Shanavas both in 2009 and 2014.<doc-sep>It is now official. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will contest general elections from a second seat in Wayanad, the Lok Sabha constituency created in 2008 after fresh demarcation of seats. Rahul is scheduled to file his nomination from the predominantly tribal district of Kerala on Monday. As the dust settles down and initial euphoria of a Gandhi family member contesting from Kerala subsides, the local leaders will have their task cut out. The strategy, according to a senior Congress leader from Kerala, will be to use this as an opportunity to capture more seats for the Grand Old Party in southern states. “When a leader of Rahulji’s stature represents a constituency in the South, it has a lot of positives not only for the constituency but for the whole of South,” T Siddique, Kozhikode District Congress Committee president told Outlook. It is a strategic move by Congress to ensure Rahul’s assured win. The constituency has always been a Congress fort. In 2014, M.I. Shanavas won this seat with 3.77 lakh votes, while the runner up from Left got 3.55 lakh votes and the BJP 80,752 votes. He had won it with a difference of more than 50,000 seats in 2009 elections. Congress is confident that Wayanad will change its electoral fortunes in the south and in the country. Reasons? If Rahul wins in Wayanad, the indications of which are very strong, Wayanad will have the comfort of easy inflow of investments, both domestic and foreign. “It will help in addressing problems faced by the unorganised sector that was badly hit, especially in North by demonetisation. South has been a major manufacturing hub and the consumers have been in the North. But since the people were hit by the economic impact of demonetisation and were unable to purchase, it hit the industries in the South too. By different tax incentives to promote manufacturing, UPA is trying to revive the investments in South and with schemes like NYAY, it is offering some money to buy,” points Professor Arun Kumar, a leading economist and former professor at JNU. Will it succeed? Kumar says, “It would require some tweaking and proper estimation.” With the investment and industry issues taken care of, Rahul can concentrate on agriculture issues and farmer-centric policies currently plaguing the nation. Wayanad leads in the demand for processing units for rich spices, agriculture and fruits produced by farmers not only Kerala, but the entire southern belt of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. It is an issue that the Congress president hopes to resolve by setting up food processing and exporting units in the mega food parks. “Wayanad is badly in need of a policy to manage its rich spices and poor tribals. Rahul Gandhi as Wayanad MP can play an important role. The district and South will get international attention and the benefits will accrue from that,” says Dr. Shanavas Palliyal, a dentist in Wayanad. A strong Congress in South can deflect any political deficit it may face in North, says an independent political analyst appointed by Karnataka Congress during Assembly elections. He says over the last four years, the Congress would have observed the inability of the BJP to make inroads in South. “With Rahul Gandhi contesting from South, Congress will try to highlight the neglect these states have faced during NDA period,” points Sreejesh Keloth, a film maker whose movies focus on social issues. Currently, like in other parts of India, youth unemployment and farm crisis are major issues in South India too. The Congress is confident it will make huge electoral gains by providing a solution to these issues and it hopes to form the government with support from regional allies. It will be interesting to watch if Rahul, with the old team of Palaniappan Chidambaram and Dr. Manmohan Singh, can recreate the magic through reforms that the country and world witnessed under first Indian Prime Minister from south Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao: to pull India out of an agriculture and economic crisis that NDA refuses to believe exists. (M. Rajendran was in Wayanad recently.) For in-depth, objective and more importantly balanced journalism, Click here to subscribe to Outlook Magazine<doc-sep>Tight security in place in Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. Congress president Rahul Gandhi will file his nomination papers for the Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala on Thursday and police have put in place elaborate security arrangements in the district. The police have maintained high confidentiality over the deployment of forces for his visit, especially owing to Maoists presence in various parts of the district. According to the tentative programme, Mr. Gandhi will land in Kozhikode on Wednesday night. His helicopter will land at the SKMJ high school ground in Kalpetta on Thursday around 10 a.m. and he will file his nomination papers after participating a road show in Kalpetta. The Special Protection Group (SPG) has taken over the security of the ground and nearly 1 km distance from the road show to the Collectorate. It is expected that AICC secretary Priyanka Gandhi will also reach Kalpetta in the day. Earlier it was reported that Mr. Gandhi will address party leaders in Kalpetta but the programme had been cancelled owing to security reasons, sources in the party said. Vehicle inspection Police have intensified vehicle inspection on the Kerala-Karnataka and Kerala-Tamilnadu border areas. ''Thunderbolt'', the commando force of the Kerala police, has been deployed. Sources in police said Gyurmed Dorja, Assistant Inspector General, SPG, held an advance security liaison meeting with senior officials of various department, including the police, Public Works, Health and Fire and Rescue Services in Kalpetta two days ago. Mr. Dorja, along with a contingent of SPG officials, inspected the temporary helipad on the SKMJ High School ground and a trial landing of a helicopter on Wednesday . Balram Kumar Upadhyay, Inspector general of Police, Thrissur range, also held a meeting with senior police officials on Tuesday.<doc-sep>
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is contesting from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala in addition to his traditional stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, will file his nomination around 11.30 am on Thursday, senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala said. Senior Congress leader and AICC general secretary in charge of Kerala, Mukul Wasnik said Gandhi's sister and AICC in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would accompany him to Wayanad. Rahul Gandhi arrived in Kozhikode on Wednesday night to a tumultuous welcome by hundreds of party workers. Priyanka, who came separately, reached Kozhikode shortly before her brother arrived. A large number of young party workers holding Congress and ally Indian Union Muslim League flags were seen lustily cheering as Rahul Gandhi came out of the airport. He waved at them. The Congress chief was received by Chennithala, Oommen Chandy, Mullappally Ramachandran, IUML leaders PK Kunhalikutty and ET Muhammed basheer and others. Later, he and Priyanka left for the guest house through a secure route from airport. "Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka have already left for the guest house. Rahul might meet the senior leaders tonight. UDF workers are excited over his candidature," Chennithala said. Chandy said Rahul's candidature in Wayanad will lead the UDF to a complete victory in the April 23 polls. Rahul, who earlier in the day addressed a series of election meetings in Assam and Nagaland, reached Karipur Airport here around 9.30 PM. After overnight stay at the guest house here, the two leaders will leave for Wayanad on Thursday morning. "The Congress chief will embark on a massive road show at around 9.30 am before filing the nomination papers," Chennithala said. Wasnik claimed the announcement of Gandhi's candidature in Wayanad has enthused the people of the constituency and made a major difference in other states, including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. "It will get reflected in the voting," he said. Earlier, sources said the Congress chief would board a helicopter to Wayanad, about 90 km from here, to file his nomination. Tight security is in place in Kozhikode and Wayanad districts in view of the high-profile visits. The Congress announced on Sunday that Gandhi would contest from Wayanad constituency, besides his traditional stronghold of Amethi. Gandhi has claimed that the people in South India "feel hostility" from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said he decided to contest from Wayanad to send out the message that he stands with them. SMRITI IRANI ON 2-DAY AMETHI VISIT Union Textiles minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani will begin a two-day visit to Amethi on Thursday. Amethi is the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Party convenor of Amethi Lok Sabha seat, Rajesh Agrahari, said Irani will be addressing a Kisan Rally in Parshedpur under the Amethi parliamentary constituency. Irani is the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate for Amethi this time again. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi had defeated Irani by a margin of over 1.07 lakh votes, retaining the Amethi seat.