Wayanad (Kerala), Kerala BJP chief K Surendran on Monday mocked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's decision to vacate the Wayanad seat and said the grand old party is treating the state as a political ATM.

After a leadership meeting in New Delhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said Rahul will retain the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and vacate the Wayanad seat from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest.

Surendran, who fought against Rahul in Wayanad in the April 26 Lok Sabha elections, hit out at the Congress party and said the BJP had betrayed the trust of the people of Wayanad with its predicted "always missing MP".

"BJP's prediction comes true: The MP who has been missing continuously has finally decided to vacate the Wayanad seat, betraying the trust of his people. @RahulGandhi and @INCIndia turn to Kerala only when for political gains." They are in serious trouble, falsely claiming Wayanad as their second home.

Surendran posted on X, "The honest and loving people of Kerala deserve better than being exploited and abandoned. For Congress, Kerala is nothing but a political ATM #RahulBetrayedKerala."

Rahul had won from both Wayanad and Rae Bareli constituencies and had to vacate one seat within 14 days of the Lok Sabha results declared on June 4.