LDF, NDA candidates off to full-fledged campaigning in Wayanad

Electioneering in Wayanad gains momentum as candidates from various parties ramp up outreach efforts for by-election.

The electioneering for the byelection in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency is gaining momentum with candidates of various parties ramping up their outreach efforts. Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Satyan Mokeri commenced his campaigning three days ago, while the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) Navya Haridas launched her campaign on Monday. Ms. Haridas, seen as the youth face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the main constituent of the NDA, in the Malabar region, is a two-time representative of the party in the Kozhikode Corporation.

District leaders of the BJP gave Ms. Haridas a welcome at Wayanad Gate in Lakkidi. Afterwards, she lead in a roadshow in which hundreds of party workers participated. She also visited senior leaders of the BJP in the district.

United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to enter the fray on Wednesday, which is anticipated to further energise the political landscape in Wayanad. Ms. Vadra will submit her nomination papers to the District Collector in the presence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

A roadshow featuring Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and former MP from Wayanad, alongside Ms. Vadra, will begin from the vicinity of the new bus stand around 11 a.m. on the day.

Many leaders, including Chief Ministers and national and State-level figures, are expected to participate in the roadshow. Ms. Vadra will likely spend around 10 days in the constituency, leading her campaign activities alongside Congress leaders.

Meanwhile, Mr. Mokeri has completed his first round of visits in the Nilambur and Wandoor Assembly constituencies in Malappuram district. The LDF’s election convention for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency is scheduled to commence on October 24 in Kalpetta, followed by Assembly segment conventions at Thiruvambadi on October 25, and at Mananthavady, Sultan Bathery, and Nilambur on October 27. Conventions will also take place in Kalpetta, Wandoor, and Ernad on October28.

LDF leaders have indicated that they will highlight the Union government’s ‘refusal’ to provide aid to landslide victims as well as Rahul Gandhi’s silence on the issue during the campaigning.