The challenges before Priyanka Gandhi in Kerala's hilly Wayanad constituency
Hindustan TimesDespite being a traditional stronghold of the Congress, Wayanad gave Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi a sleepless night during her first visit to the hilly region located in north Kerala five years ago. But this time, Priyanka and other candidates will have to make their stand clear on contentious local issues, which include the escalating human-animal conflicts, the agricultural crisis aggravated by climate change, and the ban on night travel between Wayanad and Bangalore through the Bandipur forests imposed by the Karnataka government,” said writer and documentary filmmaker O K Johnny, who lives in Wayanad's largest town, Sulthan Bathery. UDF leadership feels that Priyanka's candidature has created a feeling that the Gandhi family and Congress High Command have not abandoned Kerala in general and Wayanad in particular. In Wayanad, the BJP is essentially non-existent, and the party continues to struggle to find a level playing field despite former union minister Smrithi Irani frequenting the constituency and launching tirades against the Gandhi family.