Recent landslides, wildlife attacks, the focal points in Wayanad LS poll campaigning

UDF's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigns in Wayanad, highlighting connectivity issues, while LDF's Sathyan Mokeri focuses on workers' struggles.

The United Democratic Front (UDF) seems to be buoyed by the second phase of campaigning of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, its candidate for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll. Along with her brother and former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi, she began electioneering at Mananthavady on Sunday.

After a public meeting, Ms. Vadra engaged with voters in smaller towns, including Korome Valad in the Mananthavady Assembly constituency and Kavumannam and Thariyodu in Kalpetta. She underscored the urgent need to construct alternative roads, such as the Vilangad-Kunhome and Poozhitodu-Padinharethara routes, to enhance connectivity with the neighbouring Kozhikode district.

The Congress has been vocal in criticising the ‘anti-people’ policies of both the Union and State governments. Key issues raised include delay in providing relief to survivors of recent landslides and the alleged apathy of the State government towards the setting up of a medical college in the district. The party has initiated a youth campaign titled ‘Youth with Priyanka,’ which involves door-to-door outreach by party workers. The byelection became necessary after Mr. Gandhi, who won from both Wayanad and Rae Bareli constituencies, opted to represent Rae Bareli.

In the meantime, Sathyan Mokeri, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate and a leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI), visited a tea estate near Chundale, seeking to know first-hand the workers’ struggles, particularly of the women who harvest tea leaves under the harsh sun. They shared their grievances regarding low wages, poor living conditions, and inadequate medical facilities. Mr. Mokeri spent nearly three hours listening to their concerns and pledged to raise the issues in Parliament.

Mr. Mokeri expressed optimism that his longstanding relationship with voters would yield positive results. “We are primarily focusing on door-to-door visits with my second phase of campaigning drawing to a close,” he noted. He promised the people that he would highlight their concerns, including recurring human-wildlife conflicts, the night traffic ban in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve on National Highway 766, and the need for alternative roads to Wayanad.

He said that over the past five years, Wayanad residents had to face the consequences of electing Rahul Gandhi who he said was regularly absent from the region. He criticised Mr. Gandhi and Ms. Vadra for their ‘inaction’ in addressing critical constituency issues, including human-animal conflict and the night traffic ban. He had contested in the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Wayanad, significantly narrowing the victory margin of the then Congress candidate M.I. Shanavas to around 20,000 votes.

Navya Haridas, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and a two-time councillor in the Kozhikode Corporation, has almost completed her second round of campaigning. On Sunday, she focussed on remote tribal hamlets and visited survivors of the Chooralmala landslides in the Kalpetta Assembly constituency. She also condemned the State government for its alleged delays in implementing rehabilitation projects for landslide survivors, despite the Central government’s allocation of ₹782.99 crore for the purpose.