Kozhikode: The Congress has started preparations for the by-elections in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, targeting a majority of one lakh votes in each Assembly constituency. The party leadership suggested that Priyanka Gandhi, who is contesting the elections for the first time, should secure a majority of at least five lakh votes. The Congress party assesses that the political situation is favourable for it. 

There exists confusion in the CPI over fielding a prominent leader to stand against Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad. There is a general feeling that a tough competition will be misconstrued as the INDIA bloc has gained strength. Last time, the BJP had some advantage by bringing in K Surendran into the field. However, the party is yet to enter into any discussions regarding candidate selection as of now. 

The Congress has put wheels into motion on the assumption that the elections will be announced in September, and held in October. The Congress held a meeting of three mandalams of Wayanad district in Kalpetta, and four mandalams of Kozhikode and Malappuram at Mukkam.

Constituency camps will be organised in the next phase followed by mandalam and booth-level camps. The UDF will later begin holding public meetings. The party’s assessment is that Rahul Gandhi’s majority was reduced in the recently concluded election due to the public perception that Congress will not win at the national level. 

The general convenor of Rahul Gandhi’s election committee and MLA A P Anil Kumar said that the change in national politics will be reflected in the by-polls as well.
In the last election, Rahul lost significant votes in three mandalams of the Wayanad district. His majority went down from the historic 4,31,770 votes in 2019 to 3,64,422 in 2024.