Priyanka Gandhi to campaign across Wayanad for two days from Monday
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Congress general secretary and UDF candidate for Wayanad bypoll, Priyanka Gandhi, will campaign across the hill constituency for two days from Monday, engaging with voters and addressing public meetings, party leaders said.
Priyanka’s campaign will begin on Monday at the Nilgiri College of Arts and Science, where she is expected to arrive by helicopter around 11.20 am.
Her first meeting will be at Meenangadi in Sulthan Bathery Assembly constituency, followed by a public meeting at Panamaram in Mananthavady Assembly seat at 2.30 pm. She will conclude her day with another public meeting in Pozhuthana in Kalpetta Assembly constituency at 4.30 pm.
This is her second visit to the constituency after filling her nominations on October 22, followed by a road show in Kalpetta town here, which was attended by her brother Rahul Gandhi, mother Sonia Gandhi, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, along with the grand old party's state leaders.
The byelection is necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat following his victory in Rai Bareli constituency in the recent Parliament elections. The bypoll will be held on November 13.
On Tuesday, Priyanka will continue her campaign trail, commencing with addressing a meeting at 9.30 am in Thiruvambadi, followed by a gathering in Engapuzha. Her mid-day meetings include Eranad at 12.30 pm and Therattammal later in the day.
In the afternoon, she will address party workers at 3 pm in Wandoor and Mampad, concluding at 4.30 pm with a meeting in Nilambur, after which she will proceed to Chungathara.
AICC general secretary K C Venugopal MP, and other prominent UDF leaders, are expected to join Priyanka at various programmes across the district.
Priyanka is contesting against LDF’s veteran leader Sathyan Mokeri, a former MLA and BJP’s Navya Haridas, a two-time counsellor of Kozhikode Corporation.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
