Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary D. Raja expressed his opinion that Rahul Gandhi should contest the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from a constituency where he can directly challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He mentioned that it is the prerogative of a political party to decide their candidate for a particular seat. D. Raja’s remarks came after the announcement that Rahul Gandhi will be contesting from Wayanad in Kerala. The CPI’s Annie Raja has been fielded as the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate from Wayanad. D. Raja stated that Rahul Gandhi, being a national leader and former president of the Congress, should have fought from a seat directly confronting the BJP.