Can BJP's Surendran create Amethi show in Wayanad?

Wayanad (Kerala), March 25 (IANS) With the BJP declaring its candidate K. Surendran in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, the party has made it clear that it is going to give a tough fight to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is seeking re-election from here.

BJP announced the name of its Kerala state unit chief on Sunday night and hopes for an Amethi show here too.

Surendran has earlier made several attempts to enter the Lok Sabha and State Assembly, but has lost everytime. This time he is, hoping to make it to the Lok Sabha. If one looks into the voting pattern and the overall profile of the Wayanad constituency things may not be very easy for him

Rahul Gandhi won Wayanad seat in the 2019 polls with a marginn of 4.31 lakh votes, the highest in the state.

The CPI candidate came second. And Tushar Vellapally -- who heads the BDJS -- an ally of the BJP-led NDA -- finished a very poor third garnering only 78,000 votes, which then was a mere 7.25 per cent of the total votes cast.

The CPI has fielded Kannur born Annie Raja, the wife of CPI General Secretary D. Raja, this time against Rahul Gandhi though the party is a part of the INDIA bloc. In all the four seats that the CPI is contesting in Kerala, it is fighting the Congress candidate, making the alliance a mockery in the state.

“Forget what happened at Wayanad in 2019, it’s a new poll battle this time, we will see what’s in store this time,” was Surendran’s first reaction on his candidature.

Now with Surendran also pitching in, there will be a long list of national leadership from all the three political fronts trooping in the hilly constituency of Wayanad. Bu the question now is can Surendran do what Union Minister Smriti Irani achieved in Amethi.