Priyanka Gandhi holds roadshow in Wayanad

Highlights

With family behind her, she files papers for electoral debut

Wayanad: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held a roadshow ahead of filing her nomination for the bypoll to the Wayanad Assembly constituency in Kerala on Wednesday.

The roadshow was held at Kalpetta town here with party leaders and workers turned in large numbers as a show of support to the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee, who is making her electoral debut.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi joined his sister at the roadshow and the pair was seen waving and greeting party workers and supporters at the venue.

Telangana Chief Minister K Revanth Reddy, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal and other leaders of the party were also present during the roadshow. She was seen sharing a candid moment with a young girl during the roadshow.

Prior to the roadshow, Priyanka Gandhi signed her nomination papers in the presence of local leaders at a resort in Kerala, according to Congress sources. She filed her nomination in the presence of Chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi. The Wayanad seat was vacated by Rahul Gandhi who retained the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha Constituency.

For the upcoming bypolls, Priyanka Gandhi is pitted against BJP candidate Navya Haridas and Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) candidate Sathyan Mokeri. Haridas is a two-time Kozhikode Corporation councillor.

If Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, she will be the third person from the Gandhi family to enter Parliament. Priyanka Gandhi was entrusted with taking care of the Gandhi family’s stronghold in Amethi and Rae Bareli before entering active politics in 2019, where she emerged as an important strategist for her party. In 2019 she was appointed as the AICC general secretary in charge of the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh Later in 2020 she became the general secretary in charge of the entire state of Uttar Pradesh. The bypoll in Wayanad is scheduled to be held on November 13.