Kerala BJP chief K Surendran holds roadshow with Smriti Irani in Wayanad, files LS nomination
Apr 04, 2024
Wayanad (Kerala) [India], April 4 : Kerala BJP chief K Surendran on Thursday filed his nomination for the upcoming general elections from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat for which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate Annie Raja have also submitted their nominations.
On the way to filing his nomination today for the Lok Sabha seat, the BJP state chief held a mega roadshow in Wayanad that saw participation by Union Minister and party leader Smriti Irani.
Incidentally, Smriti Irani had in 2019 Assembly elections defeated Rahul Gandhi from Amethi, which was once considered a Congress bastion. Rahul Gandhi, however managed to retain his Lok sabha membership after winning from Wayanad, his second seat.
Earlier, BJP Kerala President alleged that as an MP, Rahul Gandhi is a "big failure" and he hasn't worked for the people of Wayanad.
"As an MP, Rahul is a big failure. He hasn't worked for the people of Wayanad. The people in Wayanad were not even able to meet him in person. People are wise enough to realise this. This kind of anti-CAA protest is not being witnessed now. This is because that the Muslim community have started realising facts. Kerala CM should understand that religious minorities are not just vote banks. Pinarayi Vijayan is trying to insult the Muslim community," Surendran said.
The BJP has fielded Surendran as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate in its attempt to put up a tough fight for the Gandhi family scion in Wayanad.
Kerala, one of the few states where the Congress still has a strong presence, sends 20 parliamentarians to the Lok Sabha.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul Gandhi won from Wayanad with a huge margin of over 4.31 lakh votes defeating LDF candidate PP Suneer. The NDA had fielded BDJ(S) leader Tushar Vellapally who secured around 78,000 votes.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 19 out of 20 seats in Kerala in the last Lok Sabha polls. While the Congress won 15 seats, its allies Indian Union Muslim League won two seats, the Revolutionary Socialist Party won one and the Kerala Congress (M) won one seat.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) won one seat in Alappuzha.
Voting for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in the South Indian state is scheduled to be held in a single phase on April 26, while counting of votes will take place on June 4.
