Wayanad : Despite heavy rains putting Wayanad on red alert, political parties are making hectic preparations for the Lok Sabha by-elections, which are yet to be announced. Although there is no official notification for the by-election in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, the Congress district unit is getting ready and coordinating election activities with extreme caution.
Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC) Vice President O V Appachan told ETV Bharat that the assembly constituency-level committees in the LS constituency have already started enrolling new voters. "The verification of the voters' list has also started at the booth level. We are targeting to get 8 lakh votes for Priyanka Gandhi."
AICC leaders have given clear instructions that Priyanka Gandhi should secure a majority of seven lakh votes when she contests as a Congress candidate. Congress leaders are mobilizing their teams to implement the High Command's instructions. In the first phase, Assembly Constituency Committee meetings will be completed, followed by rapid feeder body meetings. Meetings will now be held at the constituency level.
The district leadership and constituency committees are working to activate the lower units to resolve deficiencies and carry out election activities by accepting constructive criticism and taking suggestions from the ranks.
When Rahul Gandhi contested in the last election, the leadership was criticized for starting operations too late. The leadership has also criticized itself for not getting Rahul as many votes as expected in Wayanad. The Lok Sabha constituency leaders have assured the central leadership that Priyanka Gandhi will get a majority of over six lakh votes. However, the AICC is firm on the idea to aim for a seven lakh majority.
With the announcement that Priyanka Gandhi will contest, the lower units of the Congress have become active up to the district level. Farmers Congress, Youth Congress, and Mahila Congress are meeting daily. Five district secretaries have been assigned the task of hearing and resolving suggestions from the ranks.
In the last Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi won with a good majority, but the party was unhappy that it did not get the expected majority. The leadership is confident that Priyanka's candidacy will remedy that shortcoming. The Congress and its allies have already come forward to achieve the majority as per the AICC proposal.
Despite the heavy rain, preliminary campaign boards announcing Priyanka's arrival have been put up in all major centres. Boards featuring Priyanka along with Rahul Gandhi have been installed in various centres.
Rahul Gandhi won 7,06,367 votes in the 2019 election. Rahul's majority was 4,31,770. But in the 2024 elections, his majority has slightly declined. Rahul secured 6,47,445 votes, winning with a majority of 3,64,422.
This time, in the upcoming by-elections, the UDF leadership of the Lok Sabha constituency believes that Priyanka Gandhi's majority should be above 6,00,000. In the last election, Rahul Gandhi's campaign started late. This time, Congress and UDF are determined to start their campaign early and stay ahead of their opponents.
