LS polls: Rahul Gandhi not to abandon Wayanad

Ahead of the Congress announcing its candidates in Kerala for the Lok Sabha polls, sources suggest that Rahul Gandhi will not be abandoning Wayanad while K C Venugopal is all set to contest from Alappuzha.

There were reports suggesting that Rahul might contest from Telangana this time, along with Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, vacating the Wayanad seat.

Meanwhile, Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of late Congress stalwart K Karunakaran, joining the BJP on Thursday (March 7), has caused some confusion within the Congress, particularly in finalising the candidates for Vadakara and Thrissur. The screening committee is said to be contemplating a shift of K Muraleedharan from Vadakara to Thrissur, possibly replacing him with a Muslim candidate.

In the current term, Congress does not have a Muslim MP from Kerala. This time, LDF has four Muslim candidates, all under CPI(M). To match, Congress is thinking of nominating one of their sitting MLAs, like Shafi Parambil or T Siddique from Vadakara.

Interestingly, a potential victory of K C Venugopal from Alappuzha could result in the Congress forfeiting a Rajya Sabha seat. Venugopal, presently nominated from Rajasthan, sees his term expiring in 2026. Given the current political situation in Rajasthan, where the Congress lacks the requisite numbers, the party faces the risk of losing a seat in the Upper House where the BJP is inching close to a majority.

All the other sitting MPs from Kerala except T N Prathapan of Thrissur will be retained. The BJP is aiming to encash the Padmaja effect to get traction for Suresh Gopi in Thrissur. The Congress screening committee thinks that Muraleedharan's presence could nullify this. They also foresee a minority backlash in Malabar and want to pacify the Muslim community by fielding Shafi of Siddique from Vadakara against the CPI (M) veteran, former Health Minister K K Shailaja.