KALPETTA: The Congress leadership is putting in place a well-crafted strategy for the maiden electoral foray of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. And the battery of leaders who gathered on Wednesday for her first campaign show was evidence that the party isn’t keen to take any chances.
But, there were also some impromptu moments. Like when Priyanka visited a house in Sultan Bathery on her way back to the hotel. “It feels like I have won the lottery. It is just unbelievable that a national leader, who is also the granddaughter of Indira Gandhi, visited our house on our request,” an elated Thressia Kumarankulam said.
It’s evident that Priyanka’s resemblance to Indira will be in focus during the campaign. Many of the posters that were put up read: ‘Indira for India, Priyanka for Wayanad’.
“As the latest from the Nehru-Gandhi family to enter electoral politics, Priyanka seems amiable and kind. We couldn’t meet Indira Gandhi and now her granddaughter is contesting here,” said Maimoona D, a Mahila Congress worker from Kalpetta.
Annamma, a Chooralmala landslide survivor, who works as a clerk in a private school in Meppadi, took a day off to come see Priyanka in Kalpetta. “Despite the uncertainty over the resettlement of victims of the Wayanad landslides, Priyanka’s candidature gives me hope,” she said. Annamma currently lives in a rented house in Munderi, near Kalpetta.
Opposition parties have been keen to stress that Rahul Gandhi, who represented Wayanad before he resigned the seat in favour of Rae Bareli, necessitating the by-election, was unable to make his mark on development in the constituency.
Rahul’s absence from Wayanad and his failure to resolve the Bandipur night travel ban issue with the Congress-ruled Karnataka government were raised during this year’s Lok Sabha election. This saw his margin of victory drop to around 3.6 lakh from 4.3 lakh in 2019. Moreover, parties like the CPM and the BJP accuse Rahul of quitting on Wayanad and forcing the bypoll on voters.
The Congress leadership is, however, confident that Priyanka’s candidature will negate the criticism. And an elaborate campaign is being planned to ensure one of the largest victory margins in the country’s electoral history.
The presence of Priyanka’s entire immediate family on Wednesday was just the start. Besides her mother and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Priyanka was accompanied by husband Robert Vadra and son Raihan.
KPCC leaders will spearhead the campaign in Wayanad in the coming days. According to sources, Priyanka will be in the constituency on October 28 and 29.
