Posters targeting Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka over delay in finalising Kerala CM surface in Wayanad
Posters at Wayanad DCC office warn Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi against denying Chief Ministership to V D Satheesan, hinting at electoral backlash if their decision is not accepted.
Posters at Wayanad DCC office warn Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi against denying Chief Ministership to V D Satheesan, hinting at electoral backlash if their decision is not accepted.
Posters at Wayanad DCC office warn Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi against denying Chief Ministership to V D Satheesan, hinting at electoral backlash if their decision is not accepted.
Even as the Congress high command continues to struggle to reach a consensus on Kerala’s next Chief Minister, posters and banners have started appearing on the premises of the Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC) office here, in the Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency, warning Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi against any decision denying the Chief Ministership to Opposition Leader V D Satheesan.
Ten days after the UDF’s thumping victory in the Assembly elections, the Congress high command is yet to finalise its Chief Ministerial candidate. The results were announced on May 4, but the delay continues as senior Congress leaders K C Venugopal, Ramesh Chennithala and V D Satheesan are all in contention for the post.
As Leader of the Opposition who led the UDF over the past five years, Satheesan was widely seen as the natural choice. However, reports suggest that the Congress high command remains undecided. The posters, which appeared on Wednesday morning and were pasted on the board of Rajiv Bhavan, the DCC office, carried messages such as: “Rahul and Priyanka, forget Wayanad, you won’t win again from here.”
Another poster read: “Mr Rahul, KC might be your bag bearer, but the people of Kerala will not forgive you.” A third poster stated: “PG (Priyanka Gandhi) and RG (Rahul Gandhi), this is not a warning. Kerala will never forgive you for this blunder.” Indicating a possible electoral backlash, another poster declared: “Wayanad will be the next Amethi.”
A Congress leader, speaking to Onmanorama on condition of anonymity, said the DCC had launched an inquiry to identify those behind the campaign against the party high command. However, he added that CCTV cameras in nearby buildings were not focused on the spot where the posters were pasted.
Though Onmanorama tried to contact DCC president T J Isaac, he was unavailable for comment.
Party sources said the situation could worsen in the coming days as Congress workers were getting increasingly frustrated with the delay in announcing the Chief Minister. According to them, many workers were no longer afraid of party diktats or disciplinary action.
“The problem is that the high command wants to project K C Venugopal as the next Chief Minister, but they now fear a backlash from the people. They underestimated the situation in Kerala, where V D Satheesan is seen as a mass leader rather than merely a group leader,” the source claimed.