Priyanka Gandhi Leads Wayanad Campaign with Massive Roadshow
Priyanka Gandhi and her mother, Sonia Gandhi, arrived in Sulthan Bathery, Wayanad, late Tuesday night. They flew to Mysuru and continued by road to the town, as confirmed by Congress sources.
Later that night, Priyanka made a surprise visit to a voter’s home in Sulthan Bathery, further connecting with the local community.
On Wednesday, former Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will join Priyanka in Wayanad. At 10 a.m., they will lead a massive roadshow in Kalpetta, starting near the new bus stand. Afterward, Priyanka will file her nomination papers at the district collectorate, according to Shamsad Marakkar, Congress district vice-president.
A public meeting is planned in Kalpetta following the roadshow, where senior Congress leaders will address the crowd and rally support for Priyanka in her first election.
Marakkar confirmed that the day’s events will conclude with the Gandhis returning to Delhi. However, Congress election committee conventions will continue in Wayanad, and Priyanka is expected to return for further campaigning on October 28.
In addition to Sonia Gandhi and Kharge, several prominent leaders, including Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, deputy CM DK Shivakumar, and Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, will be present to support Priyanka’s campaign.
Several UDF leaders, such as state president K Sudhakaran, opposition leader VD Satheesan, and IUML leaders PK Kunhalikutty and Panakkad Sayed Sadik Ali Shihab Thangal, have also arrived in Wayanad to back Priyanka’s campaign.
KC Venugopal, Congress general secretary, shared that thousands of UDF workers will participate in the roadshow, showcasing the party’s strength in Wayanad, a seat Congress has held since 2009.
The by-election in Wayanad was called after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat to focus on Rae Bareilly, his second constituency. Rahul had won Wayanad in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections by a margin of 3.6 lakh votes, defeating CPI’s Annie Raja. With Rahul stepping aside, Congress has fielded Priyanka in the by-election.
On Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi expressed his confidence in Priyanka’s candidacy on social media, stating, “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.”
Although this is Priyanka’s first time contesting an election, she brings significant campaign experience. She managed her mother Sonia Gandhi’s Rae Bareilly campaigns in 2014 and 2019. In 2019, she was responsible for the Congress campaign in eastern Uttar Pradesh but faced challenges delivering strong results. In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, she led the Congress campaign, although the party won only two seats.
In the November 13 election, Priyanka will face off against CPI’s Sathyan Mokeri and BJP’s Navya Haridas.
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