Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday affirmed his bond with the people of Wayanad as he filed nomination papers from his current Lok Sabha seat in Kerala.

“Wayanad is my home, and the people of Wayanad are my family. From them, I have learned a great deal over the last five years and received an abundance of love and affection,” Rahul Gandhi said in a social media post.

“It is with great pride and humility that I file my nomination for Lok Sabha 2024 once again from this beautiful land,” he added.

Read: Rahul Gandhi’s ‘papa of propaganda’ dig at PM Modi over BJP’s ‘war rukwa di’ ad

The former Congress president, accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi and other senior party leaders, submitted his nomination papers to the Wayanad District Collector, who is also the Returning Officer. After submitting the papers, Gandhi read out the oath to uphold the Constitution which concluded the submission process.

“This election is a fight for the soul of India; it is a fight to preserve our democracy from the forces of hatred, corruption, and injustice that seek to suppress the voice of Bharat Mata,” Gandhi said.

Gandhi pledged to mobilise every citizen across the country to strengthen the ‘Union of States’, a term he often uses to highlight how India is described in the Constitution.

“I, along with every member of INDIA, will not rest until this battle is won. We will bring together every citizen from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and from Manipur to Mumbai to strengthen our Union of States.”

Read: ‘There can be no comparison between PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi’: Amit Shah

Earlier today, Gandhi held a roadshow from Kalpetta to Civil Station in Wayanad before reaching the District Collector’s office to submit his nomination. Addressing the crowd gathered outside the DC office, Gandhi said he was always with the people of Wayanad on all issues, including the human-animal conflicts which have claimed many lives.

Meanwhile, the BJP has hit out at Rahul Gandhi alleging he shifted base to Wayanad “because of heavy concentration of Muslims and Christians”. Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, however, claimed that Rahul Gandhi “is in for a tough fight there too.”