Wayanad, April 3: Congress leader and incumbent MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday submitted his nomination papers for the Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala for the Lok Sabha elections, starting from April 19 in seven phases across the country. His sister and party's general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also present with him.

The Congress leader filed his nomination after leading a roadshow at Kalpetta in Wayanad. "It has been an honour for me to be your member of Parliament. I don't treat you and think of you like an electorate. I treat you and think of you the same way I think of my little sister Priyanka. So in the houses of Wayanad, I have sisters, mothers, fathers and brothers. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that," Rahul Gandhi said while addressing the gathering. Rahul Gandhi Files His Nomination From Wayanad Lok Sabha Seat in Kerala, Priyanka Gandhi Accompanies Congress Leader (Watch Video).

Thousands of people, including UDF leaders and workers, turned up at Kalpetta here to welcome Rahul. Accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul held a roadshow from Kalpetta to Civil Station. Rahul Gandhi further said that he was always ready to bring Wayanad's issues to the attention of the nation and world.

"There is an issue of man-animal conflict, medical college issue. I stand with the people of Wayanad in this fight. We have tried to pressure the government on the medical college, I have written letters to the CM. But unfortunately, they have not moved forward. I am absolutely convinced that if we have a government in Delhi and when we get a government in Kerala, both of which we will do, we will resolve these issues," he said. Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Holds Roadshow in Kerala's Wayanad Ahead of Nomination Filing (Watch Videos).

CPI national leader and Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Annie Raj also submitted her nomination papers today in the same constituency. The CPI is a partner of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front in Kerala. While the CPI and the Congress are partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, the two parties are fierce contenders in Kerala with both parties pitting their strongest candidates against each other.

Rahul Gandhi Files Nomination Papers:

The BJP that 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.