KOCHI: The BJP national leadership’s decision to field state president K Surendran in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency against Rahul Gandhi has come as a surprise, considering the party’s poor performance in the previous elections.
The NDA could garner only 7.24% votes in the constituency in 2019 when Rahul won with a record margin of 4,31,770 votes. In 2014, the BJP candidate polled only 8.84% votes there.
However, the BJP does not believe in statistics and the national leadership wants to ensure that Rahul does not have a smooth sail this time. Senior BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to arrive in Wayanad to spice up the high-profile battle.
“While being part of the INDI Alliance, the Congress and the CPI have fielded their national leaders, making Wayanad a high-profile constituency. The CPI national leadership has been pleading with the Congress to withdraw Rahul’s candidature while the Congress has been demanding that Annie Raja should quit in favour of the Congress. They have made it a friendly match and our job is to expose this hypocrisy. We will debate the contributions of Rahul Gandhi as the MP of Wayanad,” a senior BJP leader told TNIE.
The BJP wants to transform the fight from a bipolar contest to a triangular one.
Talking to the media after the announcement of his candidature, Surendran bombastically said Gandhi would face the same fate in Wayanad as he encountered in Amethi last time. He said Rahul Gandhi has been a tourist in Wayanad.
“In 2019, the voters supported Rahul Gandhi hoping that he will become the prime minister. But this time, the voters have realised the situation and the Congress cannot claim the same edge. 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 said.
“He was not there to support the people during crises like the increasing wild animal attacks. He is a national leader and very influential, but what has been his contribution? Wayanad has been included in the list of 150 aspirational districts in the country, but Rahul did not attend even a singe meeting to plan the development of the district,” he added.
Gandhi had won the constituency last time defeating CPI's P P Suneer with a margin of over 4.31 lakh votes.
An ally of the BJP, Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), had fielded its chief Thushar Vellappally, who could get only 78,816 votes from Wayanad.
"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 each other in the same constituency," Surendran said.
But what is BJP’s strategy in Wayanad? The party is expecting a shift in the approach of the Christian and tribal voters.
“While the Congress and the LDF government stood mute spectators when elephants and tigers turned life miserable for the high-range farmers, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav visited the victims and held meetings to mitigate the conflict. Though the LDF argued that the state government cannot shoot the rogue elephants, the union minister pointed out that the Chief Wildlife Warden has the right to order the killing of wild animals that pose a threat to humans. Apart from various development projects, the PM Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan has been implemented to ensure aid for vulnerable tribal communities,” Surendran added.
This time, the Christian community will not cast their votes en masse for the Congress as they prefer development over petty politics, the BJP Wayanad candidate said.
“Even the Muslim women have shed their prejudice and the shift will be evident during this poll,” he said.
Regarding the lacklustre performances in the previous elections, a senior BJP leader said the party has a history of transforming the equation and turning adversities into opportunities. "The party has unseated Rahul in Amethi, the bastion of the Gandhi family. Many constituencies in Kerala have changed character over the past decade and Wayanad will also transform,” he said.
At the same time, political observer A Jayashankar said,“Christian and Muslim voters hold sway in Wayanad and even the LDF has not been able to create fissures in the UDF vote base. But it will be beneficial for Surendran as he will grow in stature within the party.”
Meanwhile, CPM senior leader Annie Raja said the Left parties do not decide candidature based on opposing candidates.
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.
"We are much ahead in the campaigning. We have reached out to all sections of society. The response of the voters boosts our confidence," she told the media.
The mountainous district of 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 Wildlife (Protection) Act, a Central Act, to deal with wild animal attacks.
The BJP and the central government claim that the provisions are adequate and the state government just needs to implement them properly.
(With inputs from PTI)
