LDF begins Kerala campaign with focus on Wayanad post Cong announcement on Rahul's candidature

The Left Democratic Front began its poll campaign in Kerala with special focus on Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, a day after the Congress announced that its president Rahul Gandhi will contest from the seat besides his traditional stronghold of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, sources said.

Senior CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat met CPI leader D Raja in Delhi on Monday and discussed the way forward for the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala after the Congress announcement.

Sources in the Left front said Raja is scheduled to visit Wayanad on April 3 and will hold a series of meetings there. Karat is also set to leave for Kerala in a couple of days and will hold programmes in Wayanad.

"It was regular meeting with Karat as we start the campaign across several districts in Kerala today. We will fight with full force to defeat the Congress in Wayanad. We are united in our fight against the fascist forces, it is the Congress which has to decide its ideology and justify their decisions," Raja said.

On Congress' remark that the decision to field Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad symbolises the "deep connect between north and south India", Raja said this would have been achieved if Gandhi decided to fight from the northeastern states or Jammu and Kashmir.

"In Karnataka, where the Congress-JD(S) alliance is in a direct face off with the BJP, he (Gandhi) could have fought from there," the CPI leader said.

In Hyderabad, CPI General Secretary Sudhakar Reddy has said the Left Front would make all efforts to defeat the Congress in Wayanad. The LDF has fielded CPI's P P Suneer from the seat.

"We are not worried about his (Gandhi's) candidature. We will make all efforts to defeat him in this election," Reddy told PTI.