In Wayanad, attention is focused as Annie Raja, the Lok Sabha nominee of the Communist Party of India (CPI) from Wayanad, and Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader who will be defending his position, are slated to submit their candidacies on Wednesday. Rahul Gandhi secured victory in 2019 with a substantial margin of 706,367 votes, surpassing CPM’s PP Suneer, who garnered 274,597 votes.

The CPI, aligned with the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala, forms part of the opposition INDIA bloc along with the Congress. However, despite this alliance, both parties fiercely compete in Kerala, fielding formidable candidates against each other.

The polling day for the Lok Sabha elections in Kerala is scheduled for April 26.

Annie Raja, spouse of CPI’s general secretary D Raja, currently serves as the general secretary of the party’s National Federation of Indian Women and holds a position in the national executive of CPI. Hailing from Iritty in Kerala’s Kannur district, Raja embarked on her political journey by joining CPI’s student wing, the All India Students Federation, before progressing to its youth wing, the All India Youth Federation.

Raja previously held the position of Kannur district secretary of CPI’s women’s wing and later served as a member of the CPI state executive committee. She emerged as a prominent figure in her party, vehemently advocating against injustices towards women.

Rahul Gandhi is set to file his nomination papers for Wayanad on Wednesday following a rally in Kalpetta town, signaling the commencement of his electoral campaign. Besides Raja, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the principal adversary of the INDIA bloc at the national level, has nominated its state president, K Surendran, for the pivotal constituency.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi secured 706,367 votes from Wayanad, clinching a 64.7 percent share of the votes. Meanwhile, CPI candidate PP Suneer, the runner-up, garnered 274,597 votes, securing a 25.1 percent share of the votes.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the United Democratic Front (UDF), led by the Congress, emerged victorious in 19 out of 20 constituencies. Among them, the Congress secured 15 seats, while its allies, the Indian Union Muslim League and the Revolutionary Socialist Party, won two seats and one seat, respectively. Additionally, the Kerala Congress (M) secured one seat, while the Communist Party of India (Marxist) secured one seat in Alappuzha.