Visit Of Smriti Irani To Rahul Gandhi’s Constituency Wayanad is generating a lot of buzz

Union Minister Smriti Irani has arrived in Rahul Gandhi’s constituency of Wayanad, igniting speculation about the politics behind the trip and the BJP’s plans in Kerala, amid a war of words between the Congress and the BJP over a video of the Congress leader attending a party in Nepal.

At many levels, the visit by the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, ostensibly as part of the center’s Aspirational Districts programme, is political significant. Ms Irani ran against Mr Gandhi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, but lost. She worked tirelessly for the next five years to turn this defeat into a victory.

Her unwavering campaign, both on the ground and on social media, paid off when she defeated Mr Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Amethi.

While the Congress leader kept his seat in the House by winning in Wayanad, the defeat in Amethi, his family’s stronghold, was a major embarrassment. Apart from running Ms Irani against Mr Gandhi in elections, the BJP has used her on numerous occasions to attack the Congress leader on a variety of issues.

In this context, her visit to Wayanad has sparked speculation about the BJP’s plans in the state.

Kerala has eluded the BJP despite its electoral gains across the country over the last several years. Its repeated attempts to seize regional players in order to gain political clout in the state have also failed. The party’s renewed push in the southern state could include sending a popular leader to the Congress stronghold.

Meanwhile, BJP leaders have taken to Twitter to attack Mr Gandhi, claiming that Ms Irani is reviewing welfare work in his constituency while he is out partying.

Ms Irani chaired a meeting today in Wayanad to review the implementation of the center’s welfare schemes after arriving in Kerala last night. She also paid a visit to a central government PSU-run anganwadi centre. She will visit tribal settlements, review the aspirational districts programme, and address BJP workers during her trip, which ends tomorrow.

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