Priyanka files nomination for Wayanad bypoll

I have been campaigning for 35 years for various elections, but this is the first time I am campaigning for myself before you. It’s a different feeling. I am deeply grateful to Mallikarjun Kharge for the privilege of being appointed as the Congress candidate for Wayanad, she says in her address following a roadshow

Marking her electoral debut, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra filed her nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll on Wednesday, accompanied by prominent party leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and her husband Robert Vadra.

The nomination papers were submitted to District Collector D.R. Meghasree at the district headquarters. Before filing her nomination, Ms. Vadra participated in a roadshow in Kalpetta, with a big crowd cheering her.

The byelection was necessitated by the vacancy left by her brother, Rahul Gandhi, who also secured a victory in Rae Bareli.

Despite the sweltering heat, thousands of United Democratic Front (UDF) workers, including women, gathered to support Ms. Vadra, waving balloons and party flags and shouting slogans.

Party workers came from seven Assembly constituencies across Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts to attend the event.

As the massive crowd assembled on both sides of the road, security personnel faced challenges managing the enthusiastic supporters and clearing a path for Ms. Vadra’s vehicle.

She was joined by Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Vadra, their son Raithan Rajeev Vadra, and key leaders of the All India Congress Committee and the United Democratic Front during the procession.

In her address following the roadshow, Ms. Vadra said, “I have been campaigning for 35 years for various elections, but this is the first time I am campaigning for myself before you. It’s a different feeling. I am deeply grateful to Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge for the privilege of being appointed as the Congress candidate for Wayanad”.

She also referred to her visit to Wayanad after the massive landslides, which destroyed three villages in the hill district and claimed over 200 lives, and said everyone she met was engaged in helping others. “Your courage deeply touched me. It will be a big honour and a great privilege to me to be a part of your community and your family,” she said.

“I am here to fight your battles, stand by you through thick and thin, be your voice, and I will not let you down,” she said.

Reflecting on her brother’s achievements in the constituency, she said, “These values of truth and non-violence inspired my brother to walk 8,000 km across the country for love and unity. He could not have done that without your support. You stood by him when the world turned its back, giving him strength”.

“I know he had to leave you, and I will ensure that our connection only deepens. He has shared with me the challenges you face. I want to come to your homes and hear directly from you about your issues and how we can address them.”

Addressing the gathering, Mr. Gandhi said the people of Wayanad would now have two MPs to represent them in Parliament and urged the electorate “to take care of my sister Priyanka and vote her to Parliament”.

The leaders also visited a public graveyard at Puthumala, paying tribute to the victims of the landslides.

The Left Democratic Front’s Sathyan Mokeri and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Navya Haridas, the other major contenders in the byelection, are scheduled to file their nomination papers on Thursday. Polling will take place on November 13.

Published - October 23, 2024 06:57 pm IST