Rahul Gandhi submits his nomination papers from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala

Guwahati: Congress President Rahul Gandhi submitted his nomination papers from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency seat in Kerala on Thursday. Gandhi's Wayanad seat will be his second seat from where he will be contesting for the Lok Sabha polls apart from his traditional stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

After filing the nomination papers, Gandhi along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi have participated in a roadshow.

The polls for Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency which is a Congress stronghold is scheduled to be held on April 23 along with all the 20 other seats in the southern state.

Rahul Gandhi will contest against Communist Party of India (CPI)'s PP Suneer and NDA's Thushar Vellapally from the Wayanad constituency. Vellappally who is the president of Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) is an alliance party of BJP in Kerala.

Moreover, the CPI (M) and the BJP have criticized Rahul Gandhi over his decision to contest from the second seat in the Lok Sabha election. On the one hand, CPI accused the Congress of trying to weaken left forces while the ruling BJP in the Centre said that Gandhi has escaped to Kerala as he could sense his defeat in his traditional Congress stronghold constituency in Amethi.

Meanwhile, the BJP is planning to rope in many national leaders for its campaign in the constituency and the top among them are Smriti Irani which is the main rival of Gandhi in Amethi. Party leaders further said that Smriti might campaign for NDA's candidate Vellappally from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.

Congress party leaders also informed that Rahul Gandhi will visit the constituency again once or twice for holding election rallies along with Priyanka Gandhi.

The political leaders say that Gandhi's selection of the Wayanad constituency in Kerala is a strategically important trijunction in Kerala which shares borders with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will help the Congress to consolidate its position in the south and pip the BJP's possible advantage in the North India.

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