Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will campaign in Kerala’s Wayanad to support her daughter, Priyanka Gandhi, who is contesting her first election as the party’s General Secretary. Priyanka is running for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in a by-election following Rahul Gandhi’s decision to vacate the seat to retain his stronghold in UP’s Raebareli.
The Wayanad by-election is scheduled for November 13, along with the Palakkad and Chelakkara Assembly seats. Votes will be counted on November 23. State Congress leaders confirmed that Sonia Gandhi will return to Kerala after many years, participating in a roadshow with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday.
Rahul Gandhi’s Performance in Wayanad
Rahul Gandhi secured the Wayanad seat in 2024 with a margin of 3,64,422 votes over CPI’s Annie Raja, though this margin was lower than his 2019 victory of 4,31,770 votes. After vacating the seat, the Congress invited Priyanka Gandhi to contest, expecting her to win by a majority of over five lakh votes. Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal is overseeing her campaign in Wayanad.
Rival Candidates in the Fray
CPI has fielded senior leader Sathyan Mokeri, who criticized Rahul Gandhi for being unavailable to voters, including tribals, and predicted the same if Priyanka won. He urged voters to choose the Left Democratic Front (LDF) instead. Meanwhile, BJP announced Navya Haridas, Mahila Morcha State General Secretary, as their candidate. State BJP President K. Surendran had contested the Wayanad seat in the 2024 election.
Congress’s ally, Indian Union Muslim League leader P. K. Basheer, urged Congress workers to be more proactive, noting that Rahul Gandhi’s majority was lower in constituencies led by Congress compared to those led by the Muslim League. He called for Congress leaders to increase Priyanka’s lead for a record victory.
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