Shehzad Poonawalla, national spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has criticized Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi and her brother Rahul Gandhi for their handling of the upcoming elections in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. Poonawala accused Rahul Gandhi of using Wayanad as a backup after being rejected in his own constituency, and questioned the Congress party's leadership in the INDIA Alliance. He called for an apology from Rahul Gandhi during his visit to Wayanad.