BJP leader Navya Haridas, who contested against AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi in the recently concluded Wayanad bypolls, moved the Kerala High Court on Friday challenging the election of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. The petition alleged discrepancies in Priyanka's nomination papers. It also claimed that she failed to disclose her and her family's assets accurately thereby violating the Model Code of Conduct.
Haridas, who was defeated by Priyanka in the November 13 bypoll by a margin of over five lakh votes, accused the Congress leader of "misguiding voters" and engaging in "corrupt practices." Advocate Hari Kumar G. Nair, representing Haridas, stated that the petition seeks to nullify Priyanka's election on grounds of "suppressing vital information about assets owned by her and her family" and "misguiding, misinforming and keeping the voters in the dark with the intention of influencing their choice", according to a report on PTI.
The Kerala HC is set to hear the case in January 2025 as the court will be on vacation from December 23 to January 5.
Priyanka Gandhi's victory in the Wayanad bypoll marked her debut as an elected representative. She secured 6,22,338 votes and Haridas, who placed third, garnered 1,09,939 votes, reported IANS. Priyanka's win also surpassed the victory margin of her brother Rahul Gandhi in the April 2024 general elections, although it fell short of his 2019 margin.
The bypoll was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat earlier this year. Priyanka's entry into Parliament is seen as a milestone in her political career, nearly two decades after she first campaigned for her family in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Her win is viewed as a significant boost for the Congress, particularly in Kerala, as the party seeks to strengthen its position nationally.