With a Priyanka victory in Wayanad, Congress eyes multiple gains in Kerala

KOZHIKODE: The Congress party's decision to field AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat on her poll debut after Rahul Gandhi's vacating of it indicates the strategic importance the Gandhi family attaches to the constituency as a long-term bastion in south India, which provided the party 42 seats in the recent polls.
Congress top brass feels Priyanka's parliamentary foray from Wayanad will help Gandhi family representatives maintain presence both in north and south.
The decision has already energized Congress and UDF cadres, and it will make Wayanad a star constituency once again.
Congress feels a win in Wayanad will help UDF leverage Priyanka's charisma and image in the 2026 assembly polls. The state unit feels her presence and aggressive stance, especially while taking on BJP, will be an asset for the party.
Many Congress leaders have already drawn parallels between Priyanka and the late PM Indira Gandhi with one banner in Wayanad describing her as 'Iron Lady'.
Congress's Kalpetta MLA T Siddique said Wayanad would see the emergence of second Indira.
"Priyanka who gave Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath a tough time in UP during the elections will give them a headache in Parliament as well," Siddique said. Rahul's re-election with a whopping 3.6 lakh margin despite a 6% dip in polling had reaffirmed Wayanad's status as a Congress bastion. Soon after announcing Priyanka's candidature in Wayanad, Rahul said he would also visit Wayanad periodically and that the people of Wayanad can think they have two MPs.
IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty said Priyanka's entry would be a confidence booster to the INDIA bloc while state president Panakkad Sadikkali Shihab Thangal said the move would strengthen the UDF in the state.
State Congress unit feels the ruling front's allegations that Rahul deceived the people of the constituency will not make any impact as they know he must retain Rae Bareli seat to maintain his presence in the Hindi heartland to continue his fight against BJP there.
Rahul's candidature had contributed greatly to the UDF winning 19 of the 20 seats in the 2019 general elections. It also helped counter the LDF campaign that Congress cannot be trusted in the fight against communal fascism. It also enabled the UDF to win the Muslim minorities' confidence this time, too. While the presence of Rahul and Priyanka in the Lok Sabha and Sonia Gandhi in the Rajya Sabha might rekindle charges of dynasty politics, Congress brass has already hit out at the BJP by terming the recently sworn Narendra Modi ministry as 'parivar mandal' for having around 20 ministers from political families.