Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretary, arrived in Kerala on Tuesday evening with her mother, veteran Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. On Wednesday, she officially filed her nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll. The mother-daughter duo first landed in Mysore before traveling to Wayanad later that night.
Upon arriving in Mysore, the senior Congress leaders were welcomed by party members and local residents. They took the opportunity to visit the homes of ex-servicemen before continuing their journey to Wayanad.
Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress candidate for the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election, filed her nomination papers on Wednesday. She was accompanied by CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahul Gandhi. This bypoll will mark Priyanka Gandhi’s first foray into electoral politics.
Rahul Gandhi, who retained the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and vacated the Wayanad constituency to allow his sister to make her electoral debut, expressed confidence in her nomination on Tuesday. The former Congress president stated that Priyanka will become a passionate advocate for Wayanad’s needs and a strong voice in Parliament.
“The people of Wayanad hold a special place in my heart, and I can’t imagine a better representative for them than my sister, Priyanka Gandhi. I’m confident she will be a passionate champion of Wayanad’s needs and a powerful voice in Parliament. Join us tomorrow, 23rd October, as she files her nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. Together, let’s ensure Wayanad continues to be represented with love,” Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.
On Monday, Priyanka Gandhi met with Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi to strategize for the Wayanad elections. Prior to filing her nomination on Wednesday, she and Rahul Gandhi will conduct a roadshow starting from the Kalpetta New Bus Stand in Wayanad.
If Priyanka Gandhi wins the Wayanad bypoll, she will become the third member of the Gandhi family to enter Parliament.
Priyanka Gandhi will contest the Wayanad bypoll against Navya Haridas of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sathyan Mokeri, the candidate from the Left Democratic Front (LDF).