New Delhi: Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad candidacy will adversely affect opposition unity, UPA alliance leaders have told Congress. NCP's Sharad Pawar and Loktantrik Janata Dal Sharad Yadav conveyed Left's displeasure over the move to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul.
The decision to consider Congress president for the Kerala seat has run into more complications after the duo pointed out it would make post-poll alliance with Communist parties difficult.
The central election committee skipped discussing the matter Thursday also. The panel consisting Sonia, Rahul, working committee members A K Antony and K C Venugopal however debated on candidates for Bihar, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha. V D Satheesan was present in deliberations on Odisha in his capacity as state screening committee chairman.
Rahul’s Wayanad chances may not be discussed at official meetings anymore since it is his personal choice, Congress sources indicate.
Former Kerala chief minister and senior Congress leader Oommen Chandy, who was among the first to talk about Rahul Gnadhi's candidature from Kerala, also played down the matter saying that he never conclusively stated that the Congress president will contest from God's own country.
“It was only a request from Congress leaders from Kerala,” Chandy told reporters on Thursday.
Chandy, who is the AICC general secretary, had last Saturday said the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee had requested Gandhi to contest from Wayanad apart from Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.
The party, which is contesting 16 out of 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala, announced the names of 14 candidates but has not declared its candidates from Wayanad and Vadakara.
Congress state units in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have also demanded that the party president should contest the Lok Sabha elections from their respective states.
Earlier this month the Congress had announced that Rahul will contest from his bastion Amethi and Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli.
