Voters in Wayanad, Congress party workers, and its allies in the INDIA alliance, are feeling shortchanged about Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest in Raebareli.

Having handed Gandhi a victory by over four lakh votes in the 2019 election, the electorate now fears being deserted. District functionaries and members of the legislative assembly from the Congress have expressed their disappointment to the state leadership about being kept in the dark over the plausible choice of a seat in the Hindi heartland, a party leader who did not wish to be named said.

While the CPM has raised the issue of Rahul’s seriousness and commitment to Wayanad, the most backward district in Kerala, local Congress party workers fear giving up Wayanad may have adverse implications on the 2026 assembly elections in Kerala.

CPM leader and former Congressman KV Thomas, special representative of the government of Kerala to New Delhi, said: “We expect more from a leader of his stature. He has to look after his constituency and respect the people. He could have taken them into confidence and stated that he was considering another option. If he chooses Uttar Pradesh over Kerala, his decision signals that the Hindi heartland is more important than the south.”

This unwanted perception has led many in civil society to inevitably question Gandhi’s contribution to Wayanad in the last five years.