Thiruvananthapuram: Amidst the continuing suspense over the prospect of Congress president Rahul Gandhi contesting from Wayanad, AICC general secretary Oommen Chandy exuded optimism that Rahul Gandhi will finally bow to the wishes of the state leaders.
Mr Chandy has received assurances in this regard from senior leader A. K. Antony, sources said, though leaders like P.C. Chacko have expressed doubts over the matter and said that Mr Chandy had shown undue haste in announcing it on Saturday last.
However, Mr Chacko is bitter over his failure to get a seat and has not taken kindly to Chandy and CWC member K.C. Venugopal.
While Mr Antony and Venugopal are tight-lipped, Mr Chandy has remained firm in his conviction and said that Rahul will announce his decision on Wednesday.
Mr Antony has been keen to bring Rahul Gandhi to Wayanad to create a wave in the state and beyond.
“Antony wants to give a fitting reply to the CPM which had opposed an alliance with the Congress at the national level. That is why he wants to bring Rahul Gandhi to Kerala,” said a Congress source.
Mr Chandy went public on a clear signal from the Congress high command after which he asked T. Siddique to withdraw from the poll fray. Majority of the Congress leaders do not openly criticise the high command and Mr Chandy has been campaigning against the Left camp.
“Chandy is also the AICC general secretary in-charge of Andhra Pradesh. He shares good rapport with former bureaucrat Koppula Raju, 62, who is the head of the core team of Rahul Gandhi. Raju, a Dalit leader, works with the Congress president’s 12 Tughlaq Lane residence and belongs to the 1981 IAS batch from Andhra Pradesh,” said the source.
