Rahul Files Nomination From Wayanad

Kalpetta: Rahul Gandhi on Thursday filed nomination papers to contest the Lok Sabha election from Kerala’s Wayanad.

Rahul landed there by a helicopter this morning, along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and headed to the district collectorate office in Kalpetta.

Congress workers and supporters greeted the brother-sister duo as they started their roadshow to mark the beginning of Rahul’s Wayanad campaign. A marching band was also part of the procession. Heavy security was in place in and around the collectorate.

The Congress president’s decision to contest from a second seat has bolstered the BJP’s charge that Rahul Gandhi is “running away” because he is unsure of his prospects in Amethi, where he has been challenged by Union Minister Smriti Irani for the second time.

On Tuesday, Rahul explained that he was fighting from Wayanad because: “South India feels hostility from Narendra Modi; I wanted to send message that I am standing with you.”
Wayanad, a relatively backward region, is home to Kerala’s largest tribal population. Eighteen per cent of the district’s vote share is that of tribals.

The NDA coalition has fielded Thushar Vellapally of the Bharat Dharma Jana Sena to take on the Congress president.

Wayanad will vote on April 23 and Amethi on May 6.