‘You won’t win again from here’: Posters targeting Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka surface in Wayanad amid deadlock over Kerala CM pick

WAYANAD: Posters carrying messages against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra surfaced outside the Wayanad District Congress Committee office on Wednesday amid delay in naming the next Kerala chief minister despite the Congress-led UDF’s sweeping victory in the assembly elections.As per news agency ANI, the posters appeared on the eighth day after the UDF secured a decisive mandate in the 140-member assembly, winning 102 seats, while the Congress high command continued deliberations over the CM pick.One of the posters directly warned the Gandhi siblings: “Mr Rahul and Priyanka, forget Wayanad. You won’t win again from here.”Another poster made a veiled reference towards party general secretary KC Venugopal, stating: “Mr Rahul, KC might be your bag bearer, but people of Keralam never forgive you.” A third poster read: “RG and PG, this is not a warning. Kerala will never forgive you for this blunder.”The emergence of the posters reflected growing unease among party workers and sections of the public over the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the leadership decision despite the UDF’s emphatic victory, the ANI report stated.The Congress leadership has so far remained tight-lipped on the issue, even as intense lobbying and consultations continue in New Delhi. Among the frontrunners for the chief minister’s post are leader of opposition V D Satheesan, party general secretary KC Venugopal and senior leader Ramesh Chennithala.Several senior state Congress leaders, including former state chiefs Mullappally Ramachandran, MM Hassan, K Sudhakaran, VM Sudheeran, K Muraleedharan, A P Anilkumar, PC Vishnunath and Shafi Parambil, reached Delhi on Tuesday for discussions with the party high command.The Congress Legislature Party has already passed a one-line resolution authorising the central leadership to take the final call on the CM candidate after consulting newly elected MLAs and alliance partners.Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla mocked the Congress over the delay, claiming the party appeared to have “a plan to give five chief ministers in five years”, while alleging rival camps were backing different contenders for the top post.(With agency inputs)