Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra secured a thumping victory in her debut electoral battle by securing the seat with a whooping margin of over 3 lakh votes. This marks a resounding debut for Priyanka Gandhi in electoral politics as she has maintained a commanding position since the counting began. This also means that Priyanka Gandhi will enter the Lok Sabha officially as the MP of Wayanad.
Overall, Priyanka Gandhi secured 6,22,338 votes. As per the latest figures from the Election Commission, Priyanka has garnered more than 4,10,931 votes, while her nearest rival, CPI candidate Sathyan Mokeri, has managed 2,11,407 votes. BJP candidate Navya Haridas, a young software engineer turned Kozhikode Corporation Councillor, remains in third place but has widened the gap with Mokeri.
The Congress camp is celebrating across Wayanad and Palakkad, buoyed by the strong showing of their candidates. In the Palakkad Assembly constituency, Youth Congress President Rahul Mamkoothathil, after an initial setback, has surged ahead beating his nearest rival, BJP’s C. Krishnakumar and CPI(M)-backed Left Independent Dr. P. Sarin in third place.
The Kerala bypolls, held on November 13 for Wayanad and Chelakkara and on November 20 for Palakkad, are seen as a litmus test for the three major political fronts—Congress-led UDF, CPI(M)-led LDF, and BJP-led NDA. The Wayanad victory is especially significant for Congress, reinforcing its hold in a constituency formerly represented by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
The Wayanad seat was vacated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he secured a Lok Sabha seat from Raebareli in the 2024 general elections. Despite this, the BJP and LDF targeted Priyanka Gandhi during their campaigns, with the BJP dismissing her as a "political tourist."
The Congress officially announced Priyanka Gandhi's candidacy on October 15, following the Election Commission's notification of the by-election.