Wayanad seat: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to campaign for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Kerala constituency, says report

Mamata Banerjee, the West Bengal chief minister and the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, is set to campaign for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Wayanad, as HT stated, citing reports. This signals improving ties between the TMC and the INDIA bloc after pre-election troubles.

Days after Rahul Gandhi registered victory in Rae Bareli and Wayanad Lok Sabha constituencies by significant margins, reports reveal that Priyanka Gandhi is making her foray into electoral politics from the Kerala seat. Rahul Gandhi decided to retain the Rae Bareli constituency, his family's stronghold in Uttar Pradesh, paving the way for his sister Priyanka Gandhi to contest the by-polls from the Kerala seat.

"I am very happy to be able to represent Wayanad and I will not let them (people) feel Rahul Gandhi's absence. I will work hard and try my best to make everyone happy and be a good representative," Priyanka Gandhi said.

The disagreement between Mamata Banerjee and the Congress over seat distribution in West Bengal before Lok Sabha polls, led the two parties to contest independently in the state. It is noteworthy that at the national level, the two parties continue to be allies under the INDIA bloc umbrella.

The TMC leader in December had suggested that Priyanka Gandhi must contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi. In May this year, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury made public statements targeting Mamata Banerjee and termed her as an “opportunist,” after Mamata Banerjee said she 'will support INDIA block from outside.'

A drift between the two parties emerged following this controversy. The TMC used this opportunity to blame Congress for its decision to contest the Lok Sabha polls alone in West Bengal.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who won Baharampur Lok Sabha seat five times in a row, lost the seat to TMC's Yusuf Pathan while Mamata Banerjee's party registered victory in 29 constituencies out of a total of 42 in west Bengal. This marks a remarkable improvement as compared with performance in the 2019 general elections when the party had won 22 seats.