With the Election Commission (EC) announcing the bypoll for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, the spotlight is now on Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as she prepares for her electoral debut. This will be her first attempt at entering Parliament since joining active politics five years ago.
Shortly after the bypoll was confirmed, the Congress announced Priyanka as its candidate for Wayanad, stepping into the seat vacated by her brother, Rahul Gandhi, who has chosen to retain his Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
This election could mark the first time that Priyanka Gandhi enters Parliament, joining both her mother, Sonia Gandhi, and brother Rahul as sitting MPs—a historic moment for the Gandhi family.
The bypoll for Wayanad and 47 Assembly constituencies is scheduled for November 13, alongside the first phase of polling for the Jharkhand Assembly. Priyanka’s candidacy has been highly anticipated, with speculation over her political debut building since she became active in 2019. Though she was previously projected as a potential challenger to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi, the Congress opted for her to contest from Wayanad, a seat that Rahul had successfully held for two terms.
Upon her selection, Priyanka expressed her readiness, saying, “I will not let them feel his (Rahul Gandhi’s) absence… I will work hard and try my best to make everybody happy and be a good representative.”
Priyanka’s campaign will be closely watched, as she attempts to bolster Congress’s position following its recent electoral challenges.
