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WAYANAD (KERALA) — Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in her maiden electoral contest in Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll on Wednesday, faces a key test -- not only to hold onto the party's stronghold but also to widen the victory margin her brother, Rahul Gandhi, achieved in the last two elections.
During the nearly month-long, high-voltage campaign, Priyanka has relied heavily on her brother's tenure as Wayanad MP and his popularity in the constituency to boost her prospects, frequently highlighting the "love and affection" he has for the people of Wayanad and how they supported him during challenging times.
Rahul, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has also joined her at public meetings and roadshows in the constituency on several occasions, urging the people of Wayanad to show her the same support they gave him.
Meanwhile, her rivals, LDF's Sathyan Mokeri and NDA's Navya Haridas, are hoping that Priyanka's lack of electoral experience will discourage voters from choosing her.
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Mokeri has a history of contesting from the Wayanad LS seat in 2014 and reducing the victory margin of then UDF candidate to 20,000.
The LDF and NDA campaign also focused on pointing out that Rahul allegedly rarely came to the constituency after his win from there in 2019 and that he abandoned them after his win in 2024.
Both political fronts have claimed that Priyanka too will follow in her brother's footsteps.
The LDF and NDA are also of the view that Rahul won in the general elections held in April as the people thought he would be the next prime minister, which would not be the case this time round.
Priyanka has answered the LDF and BJP's statements questioning her experience by pointing out that she has been active in politics for 35 years, since 1989, when she campaigned for her father, Rajiv Gandhi.
She also said that she would keep coming to Wayanad if she wins from here, till the people tell her not to come there so frequently.
The Congress leader further contended that she was a "fighter" and would fight for the interests of the people of Wayanad on every platform.
The constituency, which Rahul won this year with a victory margin of over 3.5 lakh votes, was vacated by him following his success in the Rae Bareli LS seat also, necessitating a bypoll in Wayanad.
He won the constituency in 2019, with a margin of over 4.3 lakh votes.
A total of 16 candidates, including Priyanka, Mokeri and Haridas, are vying for the support of the over 14 lakh voters in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.
On Monday, the last day of by-election campaigning in the hill constituency saw roadshows by all three major political fronts, with Rahul showing up in person to garner support for his sister, who is making her electoral debut.
Meanwhile, extensive preparations have been made in the constituency, where a bypoll was announced by the Election Commission on October 15.
The Wayanad LS constituency comprises seven Assembly segments - Mananthavady (ST), Sulthan Bathery (ST), and Kalpetta in Wayanad district; Thiruvambady in Kozhikode district; and Eranad, Nilambur, and Wandoor in Malappuram district.
Several companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Armed police Battalion have been deployed for election duties in the seven assembly segments, according to details shared by the respective district administrations.
Polling will be conducted in over 1,000 booths across the constituency and special security arrangements have been made at the places where there was a Maoist presence or which are considered to be trouble-prone, the district administration said.
The preparations also include setting up 24-hour control rooms and round-the-clock police patrolling ahead of the polling, which will commence at 7 am on Wednesday.
The Malappuram district administration said that since the model code of conduct came into effect, police have seized 13.1729 kilograms of ganja, 76.25 grams of MDMA, 30 liters of Indian-made foreign liquor, Rs 50,98,300 in cash and 719.8 grams of gold from the district. Besides that, a country-made gun and 12 rounds of ammunition were seized from the Nilambur police station limits, it added.
The counting of votes will be done on November 23.