In Wayanad all eyes are on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's political future and her ability to navigate the complexities of representing a constituency with deep ties to her family’s legacy. The results will be pivotal not only for Congress but also for her political trajectory.
Bypolls were held on November 13 for 31 assembly seats spread across 10 states and on November 20 for 15 assembly seats across 4 states. Of all these seats, Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency is under the spotlight as it marks the electoral debut of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Wayanad assembly seat was earlier held by Priyanka’s brother Rahul Gandhi, who won the constituency in both the 2019 and 2024 general elections.
He contested on two seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections - Wayanad and Raebareli. After being elected to the Lok Sabha again, he decided to vacate the Wayanad seat and retain his Raebareli seat in Uttar Pradesh.
With around 14 lakh eligible voters in the region, this year voter turnout was recorded at 64.24%, which is the lowest turnout in Wayanad since its first election in 2009. This is a stark contrast to the 72.92% turnout in the 2024 general elections, and the 80.33% recorded in 2019 when Rahul Gandhi clinched victory with a margin of over 4.3 lakh votes.
In August 2024, Wayanad was devastated by one of the deadliest landslides that killed 231 people and left dozens more missing.
The administration ensured that survivors from the affected villages of Mundakkai, Chooralmala, and Attamala were able to vote by setting up special booths for them. If she proves successful Priyanka will be welcomed with a major challenge that is, to cater to those affected by the landslide.
Rahul Gandhi, after naming his sister as his successor for Wayanad seat, campaigned for her ahead of the bypoll. He wrote on X that Priyanka was the best person to represent Wayanad, expressing confidence in her ability to champion the needs of the people and serve as a strong voice in Parliament.
Priyanka is now vying for the seat against a diverse group of candidates, including Left Democratic Front's Sathyan Mokeri, National Democratic Alliance’s Navya Haridas, and 13 others.
The bypoll is seen as a crucial test for Priyanka's political mettle as she seeks to carry forward the legacy of her family in the region. Her major rival is BJP’s Navya Haridas, who is a mechanical engineer with a B.Tech degree from KMCT Engineering College, Calicut University.
The Congress General Secretary has been in active politics since 1999 when she managed her mother Sonia Gandhi’s constituencies of Amethi in 1999 and Rae Bareli since 2004. She was also considered as a successor to her mother’s former Lok Sabha constituency of Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.
However, she formally entered politics in 2019, when she was inducted into the Congress Working Committee when she was made in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
In her campaign speeches, Priyanka expressed confidence in herself and assured the voters that she would do her best to represent their interests. “I will not let them feel his absence. I will work tirelessly for them and be a good representative,” Priyanka said in a statement ahead of the election.
This election also carries symbolic weight, as it could see the Gandhi family united in Parliament. If Priyanka wins, it would mark the first time in Indian political history that all three members of the Gandhi family - Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi - are sitting MPs simultaneously.
Sonia Gandhi, currently a member of the Rajya Sabha, and Rahul Gandhi, serving as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, would be joined by Priyanka, if she wins the Wayanad seat.
Palakkad
Along with Wayanad, Kerala also witnessed polling for Chelakkara and Palakkad constituencies. In Palakkad, the seat was vacated following the Lok Sabha election of Congress leader Shafi Parambil from Vadakara.
Three major political fronts - Left Democratic Front (LDF), the United Democratic Front (UDF), and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) - are vying for control of the constituency which underwent polling on November 20. UDF has fielded Rahul Mamkootathil, while the BJP has fielded C Krishnakumar as their candidate. On the other hand, the CPM picked P Sarin, a former doctor-turned-civil servant who had quit his medical profession to join Congress. Sarin’s unexpected candidacy turned heads and added an unpredictable element to the race.
However, despite a high-octane campaign from all sides, the voter turnout saw a slight decline. The turnout was recorded at 70.51%, a drop of nearly 5 percent in comparison to the record of 75.37% in the 2021 Kerala Assembly elections.
Chelakkara
In Chelakkara, the seat was vacated after the sitting MLA and CPM's K Radhakrishnan was elected to the Lok Sabha from Alathur. The assembly constituency recorded a voter turnout of 72.77% this year, which is nearly five percent less than 2021's turnout of 77.46%. The turnout, however, did not match the energetic campaigning ahead of polls. For Chelakkara, CPI(M) has fielded U. R. Pradeep, Congress has fielded Ramya Haridas and the BJP has nominated K. Balakrishnan.