K. Surendran, BJP Kerala State president and NDA candidate in Wayanad constituency in 2024 Lok Sabha elections (file)
| Photo Credit: S. MAHINSHA
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has fielded Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kerala State president K. Surendran in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in a bid to wrest the seat currently held by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
In an interview with The Hindu, Mr. Surendran shares his perspectives on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, why he is optimistic about the prospects of the NDA candidates in Kerala and taking on Rahul Gandhi.
How confident are you of defeating the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala considering Rahul Gandhi was elected from Wayanad in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with a massive margin of over 4 lakh votes?
We are confident that we can win the elections as the anti-incumbency factors against the Kerala government and the sitting MP will reflect in the poll results. When Mr. Gandhi contested in the constituency in the 2019 Parliament elections, he was projected as the prime ministerial candidate. But the situation has changed considerably now. The political undercurrents in the country, especially in Kerala, are very strong and favour the NDA.
How does to feel to contest against two candidates of the same alliance (Rahul Gandhi and CPI’s Annie Raja of the INDIA bloc), that too national leaders?
The two leaders joining hands outside of Kerala and contesting against each other in Wayanad has made a favourable wave for the NDA in the constituency and the State. They blame each other owing to the dearth of issues to discuss during the poll campaign. They are in confusion and chaos. Now, leaders of the Left front say the INDIA bloc is yet to discuss their prime ministerial candidate. How can such an alliance lead a country? Whereas, the NDA has strong leadership under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and we have a lot of subjects, especially the achievements of the NDA government, to discuss with the public during the poll campaign.
How do you evaluate the performance of Mr. Gandhi as an MP representing Wayanad since 2019?
As an MP, Mr. Gandhi is a failure since he was absent for a long time in the constituency after the (2019) elections. Moreover, he could not interact with the common man. Wild elephants have visited residents more times in Wayanad than Mr. Gandhi visited the voters in the constituency. He was not even accessible to district leaders of the Congress party. How would he be then accessible to his voters? Hundreds of Congress workers join the BJP every day now. The long-term absence of the incumbent MP might be the reason for their doubts. The anti-incumbency factor is strong among the voters and it will be reflected in the election results.
Will the recent controversies such as the use of Rahul Gandhi’s placards alone instead of flags of the Congress and its ally Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) during a roadshow and his statement inviting the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to arrest Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan benefit the NDA?
For a party worker, holding his/her flag is a proud thing. If any political foes unleash a campaign against this, the respective leaders have to counter this propaganda instead of avoiding the flags. But the recent incident gives a message that Mr. Gandhi is incapable of protecting the flags of their allies or even their own. Across the country, while the NDA is discussing development aspects under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the Opposition parties and their INDIA bloc have nothing to present before the public. That is why both the fronts have been blaming each other to divert the attention of the public during the poll campaigns. All these have disappointed the voters. This will be evident in the election results.
