Smriti Irani, a Union Minister and leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, poked fun at the Congress over its actions in Kerala, where the Communist Party of India has nominated Annie Raja to challenge Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, even though they are partners in the opposition INDIA bloc. On Friday, Ms. Irani stated that while the Left parties are urging Rahul Gandhi to run in Uttar Pradesh, on the other hand, the same Left members hugged the Congressman at the INDI Alliance meeting.
During her interaction with businessmen in Bengaluru, the Union Minister said, “The condition of the opposition is that they are fighting in Wayanad. Left parties are saying, Why does Rahul Gandhi not go to Uttar Pradesh and contest. But when the same Left goes to Delhi for an INDI Alliance meeting, they hug Rahul Gandhi.”
She made fun of the circumstance, saying, “I said in Kerala yesterday, ‘Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging.'” “Delhi mein hugging, Kerala mein begging, Karnataka mein thugging” describes the state of affairs the Congress is in in Karnataka. The former actress Smriti Irani asked the women to vote in large numbers, emphasizing that voting is a serious responsibility rather than a game like in a TV show.
“I request all the women that if we want everyone to take women seriously in politics, then we have to pay attention to important political issues. ‘Saas-Bahu’ serials are very far from the realities of life. Women who understand this can have a successful social and political life. The Gandhi family looted the country by clicking pictures and smiling. Casting your vote is a heavy responsibility, it is not a game of any TV serial,” the Union Minister said.
On Wednesday, Annie Raja of Wayanad submitted her nomination for the Lok Sabha elections. In Kerala, the CPI is an ally of the Left Democratic Front, which is led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
Despite being allies in the opposition INDIA bloc, the CPI and the Congress are strong contenders in Kerala, running their best candidates against one another.
The BJP which is leaving no stone unturned to establish its complete dominance in the 2024 elections, has fielded Kerala State President K Surendran as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate from the constituency.
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; the highest margin in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Kerala. He secured 64.94 per cent vote share defeating LDF candidate PP Suneer. The NDA had fielded BDJ(S) leader Tushar Vellapally who secured just around 78,000 votes which accounted for a mere 7.25 per cent
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) won 19 out of 20 seats in the 2019 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 across all 20 seats is scheduled for April 26, while the counting of votes will take place on June 4.
