Gandhi family’s Wayanad visit stirs politics ahead of assembly elections.
Gandhi family members Priyanka, Sonia, and Rahul Gandhi during their rare joint visit to Wayanad, Kerala, amid mounting political challenges.
New Delhi: The Gandhi family’s sudden arrival in Kerala has heated up state politics. This marks the first time the entire Gandhi family has visited Wayanad together. Congress General Secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi first arrived in Kerala for a ten-day visit. Following this, her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi also arrived. Assembly elections are scheduled for Kerala in eight months. Congress has been losing elections there for two consecutive terms.
Kerala was the only state where Congress had hoped to return to power, but the last defeat has changed the situation. Congress leaders are hoping that the Gandhi family’s focus on Kerala will change the situation, but the reports are not encouraging. First, the Congress in Kerala is divided into several factions. Second, there is no strong leader there who can win elections. Third, the BJP has increased its support base there.
The growing BJP support base has intensified the Congress’s difficulties. The BJP appears to be playing West Bengal-like politics in Kerala. Its strategy is to allow the Left alliance to win the elections, further weakening the Congress. The weakening of the Congress party will directly benefit the BJP in Kerala. The Congress is making the same mistakes in Kerala as it has in other states. Several factions have formed in Kerala. Organizational General Secretary K.C. Venugopal has his own faction. Currently, the Venugopal faction controls the PCC. Senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala has been completely sidelined. The third faction in Kerala is that of Leader of the Opposition B.D. Satheesan.
The case of Rahul Mamkuttathil, who resigned as President of the Kerala Youth Congress after being accused of sexual harassment, is also adding to the Congress’s troubles. Rahul was considered close to Satheesan. The Congress is currently searching for a leader who can unite the party in Kerala. The Congress faces many problems. Keeping its oldest ally, the Muslim League, at peace is also a major challenge. Priyanka Gandhi is trying to appease the leaders of the Muslim League by meeting them.
But on the other hand, BJP and Left parties are accusing Congress of Muslim appeasement politics and labeling them as supporters of Muslim interests. If Hindu votes get scattered and divided, Congress’s problems will increase. After the new Waqf Bill, Christian voters in Kerala are seen leaning toward the BJP because the Waqf Board had occupied Christian lands in many areas, which are now being restored.
At the local level, Congress has neither started a movement nor prepared issues. No one in Kerala asks about the alleged vote-stealing incident involving Rahul Gandhi, the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha. Under these circumstances, the Gandhi family’s visit to Kerala seems un likely to change the political situation. Experts believe the Gandhi family is visiting for tourism purposes. It seems unlikely that this will benefit the Congress politically. Priyanka Gandhi, as an MP, is conducting public relations. She met coffee farmers with her mother, Sonia Gandhi. Both leaders also visited the MS Swaminathan Foundation and planted trees there. But no political message has been conveyed yet. PCC leaders have also arrived in Wayanad, and factionalism is being discussed.
In such a situation, the real test for Congress will come in eight months, when assembly elections are scheduled. Priyanka will be the primary face. Although Venugopal is the organization’s general secretary, his hold in the state is not strong. If Congress loses for the third time in Kerala, the Muslim League may abandon it. Without the Muslim League, Congress cannot win the Wayanad seat.
Therefore, Kerala is good for the Gandhi family from a tourism perspective, but it is also necessary for the Congress to preserve its political ground.
