Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Rahul Gandhi's Rae Bareli move garners mixed response from Wayanad voters

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh has received mixed response from the people of Wayanad. This comes as the former party president is also contesting from Kerala's Wayanad constituency, the polls for which concluded recently on April 26.

While some said that the 53-year-old leader took the right step by deciding to contest from both the seats, there were others who completely rejected the move.

"He is leading the INDIA bloc and hence there is nothing wrong in it," news agency IANS quoted a person at a wayside shop in Wayanad, as saying. However, another added that if Gandhi wins from both the seats, it's most likely that he will vacate the Wayanad seat.

"If he does that, then it might not look good for us. Anyway let us wait," stated another, as per the IANS report.

Meanwhile, veteran Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader PK Kunhalikutty defended Gandhi's move, saying that it will be a boost for the opposition INDIA bloc. Kunhalikutty highlighted that IUML requested the grand old party's national leadership for Rahul Gandhi to contest from an additional seat and pointed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has made similar move in the past.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the other hand, hit out at Rahul Gandhi for choosing Rae Bareli over Amethi, which the latter lost to Smriti Irani in 2019. Addressing a rally in West Bengal, Modi recalled Rahul Gandhi's slogan of "daro mat (don't be afraid)" to turn the tables on him, saying he should not be afraid and not run away.

Rahul Gandhi filed his papers from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli constituency on Friday, barely an hour before nominations closed for the Lok Sabha seat.

Gandhi had lost from the adjoining Amethi constituency to BJP's Smriti Irani in 2019, but won from Wayanad in Kerala a seat he is contesting this time as well. Kishori Lal Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, filed his papers from the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency.

Polling in both parliamentary constituencies is on May 20.

(With agency inputs)