Wayanad
On Wednesday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress General Secretary, officially filed her nomination papers for the upcoming Lok Sabha by-election in Wayanad, marking her first entry into electoral politics. The election is scheduled for November 13, and she submitted three sets of papers during the process.
Priyanka was joined by her husband, Robert Vadra, and their son, who signed her nomination papers. Her mother, Sonia Gandhi, the former Congress president and current Rajya Sabha member, was also present. There was a brief mix-up when officials limited the number of accompanying individuals to five, prompting Robert and their son to step outside to accommodate Congress president Mallikarjuna Kharge and general secretary K.C. Venugopal.
Rahul Gandhi, her brother and the Leader of Opposition, supported her during the nomination. They had previously participated in a large roadshow and addressed a public rally attended by numerous Congress leaders.
The bypoll was called after Rahul Gandhi vacated the Wayanad seat to focus on Rae Bareli. The CPI has nominated veteran Sathyan Mokeri, while the BJP has put forward Navya Haridas, a former software engineer. Wayanad spans seven Assembly constituencies across three districts: Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode, with four constituencies held by the Congress-led UDF.
Wayanad to have 2 MPs, including me unofficially: Rahul
Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and former MP from Wayanad, declared on Wednesday that from now on there will be two MPs from Wayanad. He jokingly added, While Priyanka Gandhi will be the official MP, I will be the unofficial one, which received a warm response from the large crowd gathered to support Priyanka.
Later that day, Priyanka Gandhi filed her nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, which will vote on November 13. Rahul previously held this seat but chose to vacate it in favor of Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. He joined his sister for a significant roadshow leading to her first election rally.
Their mother, Sonia Gandhi, also attended the event. After Priyanka’s speech, Rahul shared his deep connection to Wayanad, saying, What Wayanad did for me cannot be expressed in words. It’s the only constituency with two Lok Sabha members, one official and one unofficial, both dedicated to serving the people. Rahul spoke fondly of Priyanka, recalling how she cared for her friends when they were younger. He urged the crowd to support her, assuring them that she would work tirelessly for Wayanad. After filing her nominations, they visited a public cemetery to honor victims of recent landslides.
