Kerala CPI does not want Rahul to contest from Wayanad

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala unit of the CPI is all set to request Congress Lok Sabha member Rahul Gandhi not to contest from Wayanad in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

A decision to this effect was taken at the just-concluded national leadership meet of the CPI and according to sources, the decision will now be officially conveyed to the Congress.

According to the sources, the CPI wants Gandhi to contest against a BJP candidate.

The CPI believes that since it is a full fledged ally of the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A political front, the grand-old party should ensure that Gandhi does not contest from Wayanad.

In Kerala, the CPI is the second largest ally of the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and the Wayanad seat, since its formation in 2009, has been contested by the CPI. In all the three previous elections, the Congress candidate had an easy outing, especially in 2019 when Gandhi won with a staggering margin of over 4.31 lakh votes.

Though the CPI is all set to convey its decision, Congress sources expressed their doubt in the request being considered.

Incidentally, of the 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, the CPI will contests from four. In the 2019 polls, it had suffered a massive defeat, when the Congress-led UDF won 19 seats. One of the reasons for their defeat is Gandhi deciding to contest from Wayanad.

Dismissing the suggestion, CPI(M)'s central committee member and former State Minister A.K.Balan stated that the decision to contest has been taken by the concerned political parties only.

Meanwhile, State Congress president K.Sudhakaran said that CPI or for that matter any 'ally' cannot decide on what other parties should do.

"Gandhi will contest from Wayanad itself," he asserted.