Left, BJP hope to prick Rahul's 'balloon'

WAYANAD offers an interesting paradox.

- CITHARA PAUL

It is probably the only constituency in India where one cannot see Congress flags flutter at any party convention even though its candidate is none other than Rahul Gandhi.

It is also one constituency in Kerala where nobody is unsure of who the winner would be. And in this paradox lies the story of this picturesque constituency, considered the "safest Congress seat" in the country.

Clearly, bitter lessons the party learnt in 2019, when Rahul contested from Wayanad for the first time, prompted the Congress to avoid its own, as well as ally IUML's, flags this time.

That Rahul took refuge in Wayanad, where the Muslim League calls the shots, was something the BJP had gone to town with in 2019. Visuals of Rahul campaigning amid a sea of League flags went viral. And that had seriously impacted the Congress' fortunes in north India.

The Congress, hence, has been extremely careful this time. Instead of flags, it has been using balloons - in shades of saffron, green and white.