Rahul Gandhi Files Nomination From Wayanad For 2019 Elections: In Pictures

Rahul Gandhi was received at the Kozhikode airport by former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy and other leaders of the Congress-led alliance in the state. He then landed in Wayanad by a helicopter this morning, along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

A marching band was part of the procession that took them to the government office. Heavy security was in place in and around the collectorate ahead of the high-profile visit of Rahul Gandhi.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who accompanied her brother Rahul Gandhi as he filed his nomination from Kerala's Wayanad this morning, posted an emotional tweet asking voters of the constituency to "take care" of her "truest friend". "My brother, my truest friend, and by far the most courageous man I know. Take care of him Wayanad, he won't let you down," Priyanka Gandhi tweeted soon after the paperwork was done.

A massive crowd of Congress workers and supporters carrying party flags greeted the brother-sister duo as they stood on a truck and waved at the crowd during their roadshow to mark the beginning of Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad campaign.

The Congress announced last weekend that its chief would contest from the hilly Kerala district in addition to the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh that has voted him to parliament since 2004, his first election.

The Congress says by choosing Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi will be contesting from a seat that, in a way, represents three southern states. Wayanad shares borders with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.