KALPETTA: The Congress believes that Rahul Gandhi’s presence in Wayanad would benefit the three South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Wayanad district, which is a tri-junction in the terminology of both Maoists as well as Thunderbolt commandos, has thus become strategic for the Congress national leadership.
In the interiors of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, there is a place called tri-junction by forest personnel as the jungle zones of all the three states share the spot. Maoists as well as poachers utilise the location to escape to the neighbouring states after committing wildlife crimes.
Wayanad constituency crisscrosses three districts of Kerala- Wayanad, the northern district, bordering both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, northern mountain ranges of Kozhikode district and Malappuram district bordering Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu.
Rahul’s candidature is expected to influence the south-west regions of all three states, according to Congress strategists. It is said that in Amethi there is a steady decline in the mass support of Rahul Gandhi. Expert agencies that have conducted field studies for Congress have predicted victory for Rahul in both Amethi and Wayanad.
In Amethi, the margin may be 70,000 to 10,000 whereas in Wayanad it would be over three lakh, it was pointed out.
In Amethi, the vote share of Congress came down to 46 percent in 2014 against its earlier share of 71 percent in 2009.
But 2019 is not 2014, says K.C. Rosakkutti, senior Congress leader of Wayanad. Modi has proved that he is incapable of delivering justice of farmers and majority of the population. The ire among agrarian community against the NDA regime is visible this year, she pointed out. “So the candidature of Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad is the symbol of unified India represented by Congress unlike the divisive ideology of NDA,” she added.
