'Same Fate As Amethi': BJP's Wayanad Candidate Challenges Opponent Rahul Gandhi

BJP Kerala president K Surendran who has been nominated to contest Lok Sabha elections from Wayanad seat, said that his opponent Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will this time face the same 'fate' as in Amethi, referring to Gandhi's loss in 2019 elections.

The Wayanad constituency is all set for a high-profile 3-way fight between Rahul Gandhi, CPI senior leader Annie Raja, who is the LDF pick and BJP candidate K Surendran.

A day after the candidature announcement, Surendran claimed that Gandhi would lose in Wayanad this time.

"Wayanad is a constituency where there is a development crisis. Rahul Gandhi has done nothing for the constituency. He will meet the same fate in Wayanad as he encountered in Amethi last time," Surendran told PTI.

"The central leadership has entrusted me with a responsibility. They have asked to take up the fight in Wayanad constituency. The people of Wayanad will definitely ask why the senior leaders of INDIA alliance are contesting aginst each other in the same constituency," Surendran said.

The BJP on Sunday nominated Surendran to take on the two senior leaders of the INDIA alliance from a segment where the NDA candidate could get only 7.25 per cent of the vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Gandhi, who was previously seen as a strong candidate for Congress in Uttar Pradesh, faced a defeat in the Amethi seat to Smriti Irani from the BJP in 2019.

However, he made a comeback in his first electoral battle from the southern region, winning with a significant margin of over 4.31 lakh votes against CPI's P P Suneer.

The BJP ally, Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), had nominated their leader Thushar Vellappally, but he only managed to secure 78,816 votes.

Meanwhile, Annie Raja said the Left parties do not decide candidature based on opposing candidates.

"We are much ahead in the campaigning. We have reached out to all sections of society. The response of the voters boosts our confidence," Raja told the media.

The BJP-led NDA was the last to announce the candidate for the Wayanad seat. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) had announced Annie's candidature long before the Congress party did.

Wayanad faces multiple issues, including a rise in human-animal conflict, among other factors, which may sway voters.

The ruling CPI(M) and the opposition Congress in the state have been seeking to amend the central Wildlife (Protection) Act to deal with wild animal attacks.

The BJP and the central government claim the provisions are adequate and the state government just needs to implement them properly.

(with PTI inputs)