Surprise hid by Congress in Wayanad, will Priyanka replace Rahul, Rae Bareli decisive for Rahul

‘Wayanad is my home and the people here are my family. I learned a lot from them in the last five years and obtained a lot of love and affection,' these are the words of Rahul Gandhi while submitting his nomination papers in the Lok Sabha elections, referring to the people of Wayanad. Will Rahul be able to leave the people of Wayanad after having said that? If Rahul takes the decision to leave Rae Bareli while retaining Wayanad, will the Congress agree? Can we expect Priyanka Gandhi in the fray if there are by-polls in Wayanad?

Soon after the Congress candidate in Rae Bareli was announced, these are the questions that every Congressman in Wayanad and those liking Rahul are asking. Rae Bareli is a prestige issue for the Congress in North Indian politics. If this constituency is not retained, all calculations of the Congress will go wrong. Therefore, let's check the results of both the constituencies and what are the changes in Congress politics...

Wayanad is my family
Right from the start of the election campaign, one of the main questions asked by the LDF and NDA fronts to Rahul was whether he would contest from Amethi. NDA candidate K Surendran asked Rahul Gandhi to give a precise answer to this. The LDF also propagated that Rahul Gandhi should not contest in Wayanad but in Uttar Pradesh, where he would have a direct clash with the BJP. However, Rahul faced these questions and campaigns by saying 'Wayanad is my family'.

The question of whether he will leave Wayanad is raised again with the announcement of his candidature in Rae Bareli. If he wins in Rae Bareli and leaves Wayanad, there will be a by-election. If that happens, the district and state leaders will face the biggest crisis. What will one say to the voters who trusted and voted for him? Some leaders said that these questions have chances to affect the majority.

No way without keeping Rae Bareli
The people of Rae Bareli stood with Sonia in the last two elections when there was a BJP wave in the country. In the first two post-independence elections, Rahul Gandhi's grandfather, Feroz Gandhi, contested in the constituency. After that, Rae Bareli supported Indira Gandhi in the elections held in 1967, 1971 and 1980. Rahul is well aware of the constituency’s closeness with his family. So, Rahul will not be ready to leave Rae Bareli.

Moreover, if Rahul decides that Wayanad is enough, it does not seem that the Congress leadership will agree to it. The opponents of North India took advantage the most on Rahul's Wayanad trip in the last election. A campaign was carried out in North India by pointing to the Muslim League flag and saying that Rahul's association was with the Muslim League of Pakistan. In addition, the campaign was carried out with alacrity that fear of losing to Smriti Irani in Amethi prompted Rahul to go to Wayanad. So, Rahul will never retain Wayanad after avoiding Rae Bareli.

Best option is Priyanka Gandhi
The question is whether Priyanka Gandhi will be the UDF candidate if the Wayanad by-election goes into the heat. The best option for Congress is to field Priyanka in the by-elections. Reason is Priyanka to some extent, has understood the impact that Rahul had made in the constituency. Moreover, people know Priyanka very well who has come to the constituency many times with Rahul. Priyanka can fill the void caused by Rahul's absence to some extent. Along with this, Priyanka's arrival will create an impression of a leader who is better than Rahul, if not equal.