Priyanka Gandhi files nomination for Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll

Priyanka Gandhi is accompanied by her brother Rahul Gandhi and AICC and UDF leaders during her massive roadshow in Kalpetta

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra filed her nomination for Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll on Wednesday (October 23, 2024). Ms. Vadra was accompanied by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, MP, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, her husband Robert Vadra and other national and State leaders of the party.

Earlier, she took out a massive roadshow from Kalpetta in Wayanad around 11:45 a.m, before filing the nomination for her maiden electoral battle from Wayanad for the Lok Sabha bypoll.

She was accompanied by her brother Rahul Gandhi, her husband Robert Vadra, one of their children and top leaders of AICC and UDF during the roadshow.

Ms. Vadra later addressed a public meeting after the roadshow. Ms. Vadra said she began taking part in political campaigns in 1989 at the age of 17 years when she canvassed votes for her late father Rajiv Gandhi.

During her public address, Ms. Vadra also said that she considers it an honour to be chosen to represent the people of Wayanad. She also said that she was deeply touched by the courage shown by people of Wayanad at the time of landslides that hit the district.

Following her speech, Mr. Gandhi addressed the public. He said that “once his sister wins, the people of Wayanad will have two MPs”, including himself, to represent them in Parliament.

“I will be the unofficial MP of the people of Wayanad,” said Mr. Gandhi, who represented the Wayanad constituency from 2019 to 2024.

Mr. Gandhi urged the people of Wayanad to “take care of my sister Priyanka and vote her to Parliament.”

Mr. Kharge, who also spoke at the event, said that Ms. Vadra is in Wayanad not just to file her nomination, but as a relentless champion for the people of the hill district. “Bless her, and she will deliver the results,” he said.

Following this, Mr. Vadra arrived at the Wayanad Collectorate to submit her nominations to Collector D.R. Meghashree.

Earlier, thousands of people, including UDF leaders and workers, had gathered in Kalpetta to participate in the roadshow.

The roadshow was organised as part of the by-election that was necessitated in Wayanad as the sitting MP Mr. Rahul Gandhi, who also won from Rae Bareli, vacated his seat.

Ms. Vadra, along with her mother Sonia Gandhi, arrived at Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad around 9 p.m. on Tuesday (October 22, 2024).

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Ministers from a few Congress ruling States had also reached Wayanad to accompany her for the roadshow.

LDF’s Sathyan Mokeri and BJP’s Navya Haridas are the major candidates contesting against Ms. Vadra in the bye-election.

“The people of Wayanad hold a special place in my heart, and I can’t imagine a better representative for them than my sister, @priyankagandhi. I’m confident she will be a passionate champion of Wayanad’s needs and a powerful voice in Parliament,” Mr. Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X on Tuesday (October 22, 2024).

(With inputs from PTI)

Published - October 23, 2024 12:17 pm IST