Wayanad byelection: Priyanka to file papers on Wednesday

She will file her nomination papers with Wayanad District Collector D.R. Meghashree at 12.30 p.m., accompanied by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and senior national and State leaders. Prior to the submission, a grand roadshow will be held

Congress leader and United Democratic Front candidate for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with her mother and Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, arrived at Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

Ms. Vadra will submit her nomination papers on Wednesday (October 23) for the seat vacated by her brother Rahul Gandhi, who had also won from the Rae Bareilly Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.

“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. Gandhi said in a post on X on Tuesday.

Speaking to mediapersons after inaugurating Ms. Vadra’s election committee office at Sulthan Bathery, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said all arrangements were in place for Ms. Vadra’s maiden debut in the Wayanad constituency. Mr. Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge are expected to arrive on Wednesday morning.

Though Ms. Vadra is making her electoral fray two decades after her brother first contested and won the Amethi Lok Sabha seat, she is not a complete stranger to electoral politics.

Since 1999, Ms. Vadra has had rich experience of managing Sonia Gandhi’s constituencies of Amethi in 1999 and Rae Bareli since 2004. Her formal entry into politics was months before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Inducted directly into the Congress Working Committee, she was made in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh. However, the party could not translate her charisma into seats and even Mr. Gandhi lost his Amethi seat to BJP’s Smriti Irani.

Ms. Vadra will file her nomination papers with Wayanad District Collector D.R. Meghashree at 12.30 p.m. on Wednesday, accompanied by Ms. Gandhi, Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Kharge, senior national and State leaders, and three Chief Ministers.

Prior to the submission, a grand roadshow is planned, and efforts are under way to make it one of the largest in the country’s history. Mr. Venugopal announced that the roadshow would commence at 11 a.m. from the vicinity of the new bus stand here, with Ms. Vadra joined by a host of national and State leaders.

The roadshow attendees will include Ms. Gandhi, Mr. Kharge, Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Venugopal, AICC general secretary Deepadas Munshi, who is in charge of the State, and Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran, along with numerous other leaders.

Following the roadshow, leaders will address the public at 11.45 a.m. from a stage set up near the Kerala Water Authority office at Gudalai.

After completing the 1.4-km roadshow, Ms.Vadra will arrive at the Wayanad Collectorate to submit her nomination papers.

Ms. Vadra is expected to spend a week in the constituency, engaging in campaign activities alongside Congress leaders. Her entry into the political fray is anticipated to further energise the political landscape in Wayanad.

Her rival candidates Sathyan Mokeri, Left Democratic Front, and Navya Haridas, Bharatiya Janata Party, will submit their nomination papers on Thursday.

Published - October 22, 2024 09:15 pm IST