CPI announces Annie Raja for Wayanad, will she fight Rahul?

NT Correspondent

Thiruvananthapuram: Will it be the Communist Party of India's (CPI) senior leader Annie Raja versus former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad in the coming Lok Sabha polls?

Annie Raja was on Monday nominated by the CPI, part of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to contest from Wayanad, a seat presently held by Rahul Gandhi.

Interestingly, the CPI, CPI(M) and the Congress are part of the INDIA alliance of Opposition parties at the national level.

However in the Kerala Assembly, the CPI(M) led LDF and the Congress led UDF are fierce adversaries.

When asked whether Rahul would contest against her in Wayanad, Annie Raja said the decision of each party is their prerogative and she cannot comment on anything based on speculation.

The Congress is yet to announce its candidate for the constituency.

There is tremendous pressure on Rahul to contest from the same seat he won in the 2019 parliament polls. Besides Wayanad, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala are also expected to witness a fierce battle.

Shashi Tharoor represents Thiruvananthapuram in the Lok Sabha.