Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party and former party president, is set to campaign in Kerala's Wayanad for her daughter Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress General Secretary. Priyanka Gandhi is contesting her first election, vying for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in a byelection. The byelection was triggered after Rahul Gandhi, who was also elected from Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli, vacated the Wayanad seat to retain his family stronghold in Raebareli.
The Wayanad byelection is scheduled for 13th November, alongside polls in Palakkad and Chelakkara Assembly seats, with vote counting slated for 23rd November. Sonia Gandhi's return to Kerala marks a significant event, as she will join her children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, in a roadshow in Wayanad, as confirmed by state Congress leaders, news agency IANS reported.
Rahul Gandhi had previously retained the Wayanad seat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, defeating Annie Raja of the Communist Party of India (CPI) by a margin of 3,64,422 votes. This was a decrease from his 2019 victory, where he won by a record margin of 4,31,770 votes against P. P. Suneer of the CPI. After his decision to vacate the Wayanad seat, the state Congress unit invited Priyanka Gandhi to contest, subsequently declaring her as the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate.
Senior Congress leaders in Kerala are optimistic about a substantial win, expecting a majority exceeding five lakh votes for Priyanka Gandhi from the UDF stronghold of Wayanad, according to IANS. Congress General Secretary (Organisation), K.C. Venugopal, who is also the MP from Alappuzha, is tasked with coordinating Priyanka Gandhi's campaign in Wayanad.
Meanwhile, P.K. Basheer, an Indian Union Muslim League leader and MLA from Eranad—part of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency—expressed concerns over Congress workers' performance in the 2024 elections during an election committee meeting. He remarked, "In Assembly constituencies led by Congress leaders, Rahul Gandhi could not secure a huge majority, while in constituencies led by Muslim League leaders, he achieved good leads." Basheer urged Congress leaders to be more proactive and enhance Priyanka Gandhi's margin to ensure a record victory.
Wayanad Bypoll: CPI, BJP Contenders Locking Horns With Priyanka Gandhi
The CPI has fielded former MLA Sathyan Mokeri as its candidate. He criticised Rahul Gandhi for his absence from the constituency, stating that he was "unavailable for common voters, including tribals, after winning the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in both 2019 and 2024." Mokeri predicted a similar scenario if Priyanka Gandhi were to win and appealed to the electorate to support him and secure a victory for the Left Democratic Front (LDF).
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced Navya Haridas, the Mahila Morcha State General Secretary, as its candidate for Wayanad. State BJP President K. Surendran had earlier contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the constituency.