Rahul Gandhi files papers, so does ‘ally’ CPI’s Annie Raja

Tribune News Service

Shubhadeep Choudhury

New Delhi, April 3

High-profile Congress candidate Rahul Gandhi and his main rival Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India (CPI) both filed their nominations for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala on Wednesday.

While the Congress and the CPI are both constituents of the INDIA bloc, a front of Opposition parties cobbled up to challenge the Narendra Modi-led BJP, the allies have failed to reach at any seat-sharing arrangement in Kerala.

The CPM-led Left Front, which includes CPI as one of its partners, and the Congress–led UDF are the two main contenders for power in Kerala. No attempt has even been made to work out an alliance between the two traditional rivals in the southern state.

Soon after filing his nomination, Rahul wrote on X, “Along with every member of INDIA, will not rest until this battle to preserve our democracy is won. This election is a fight for the soul of India. It is a fight to preserve our democracy from the forces of hatred, corruption and injustice that seek to suppress the voice of Bharat Mata.”

Rahul along with his sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrived at the district headquarters Kalpetta in a helicopter from Kozhikode to file nomination papers. After landing at the helipad at 10 am, they joined thousands of workers for a massive roadshow that winded through the streets of Kalpetta. The siblings were accompanied by Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, Leader of Opposition in Kerala VD Satheeshan and senior party leader Ramesh Chennithala in an open vehicle as workers cheered them all through the route.

After filing his nomination papers, Rahul made a brief visit to a nearby tribal colony at Munderi and met a section of residents. He also met Jayaprakash, father of Siddharthan (20), a second-year student at Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Wayanad district who was found hanging in the hostel washroom on February 18. The post-mortem examination revealed signs of torture the student underwent before his death.

Rahul had defeated CPI’s PP Suneer by a margin of over four lakh votes in 2019.

Annie Raja also filed her nomination papers on Wednesday as the LDF organised a roadshow in her support. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan campaigned extensively for Annie Raja, the wife of CPI general secretary D Raja.

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