"Welcome to Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi!": Congress in Kerala set tone for Lok Sabha bypoll

Priyanka Gandhi. Pic/PTI

The Congress party in Kerala welcomed the candidature of the party's general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for the Lok Sabha bypoll in the Wayanad seat, reported news agency ANI.

The Lok Sabha bypoll in the seat was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi decided to retain Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli seat, which he won along with Wayanad in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.

Leader of Opposition in Kerala Legislative Assembly, VD Satheesan, expressed confidence in Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's victory with a historic majority, reported ANI.

"Rahul and the party have assigned dearest Priyanka to Wayanad. Welcome to Wayanad, Priyanka Gandhi. With a historic majority, Priyanka will become Kerala's dearest," Satheesan said in a post on Facebook.

Satheesan also quoted Rahul Gandhi, where he spoke about Wayanad and shared a picture of both Rahul and Priyanka along with his post.

From now on, two Gandhi voices will speak for Kerala in the Parliament, said Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K Sudhakaran as he welcomed Priyanka's candidature.

"Wayanad is walking towards history. Both Wayanad and Raebareli are dear to Rahul Gandhi, who won both seats with a huge majority, thereby leading the Congress as well as the INDIA bloc to create a remarkable impact across the country. Retaining one of the seats and leaving the other was a tough decision yet he and the Congress party ensured it did not hurt his people. So he decided to assign his dearest as his replacement in Wayanad," Sudhakaran said in a post on X.

He further called it a proud moment for each Congress member and Malayalis, saying, "Priyanka, who is seen as equivalent to India's Iron Lady Indira Gandhi, chose Wayanad for her debut electoral battle."

"Welcome to Wayanad, Indira's successor. Priyanka Gandhi will become Wayanad's dearest with a huge majority," he added.

Robert Vadra, a businessman and husband of Priyanka Gandhi, also shared a picture of Priyanka with an emoji of a heart.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge announced Priyanka Gandhi's candidature from Wayanad at a special press conference on Monday. If Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family will be in Parliament - Sonia Gandhi in Rajya Sabha and Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, reported ANI.

Priyanka Gandhi said on Monday that he will contest the bypoll from Wayanad but her decades-old association with Amethi and Raebareli will continue.

"I am very happy to be able to represent Wayanad and I will not let them feel his (Rahul Gandhi's) absence. I will work hard and I will try my best to make everyone happy and be a good representative. I have a very old relationship with Raebareli and Amethi and it cannot be broken. I will also help my brother in Rae Bareli. We will both be present in Rae Bareli and Wayanad," Priyanka Gandhi said at the special press conference, reported ANI.

(With inputs from ANI)