Wayanad Byelection: Priyanka Gandhi seals victory in her debut election
Congress-led UDF candidate Priyanka Gandhi secured a historic win in Wayanad with a record lead of over 4 lakh votes, marking her entry into the Lok Sabha.
Wayanad: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi achieved her first Lok Sabha seat on Saturday with a landslide victory in Wayanad, winning by a margin of 4,08,036 votes. Representing the Congress-led UDF alliance in the hill constituency, Priyanka Gandhi widened her lead to nearly 3.5 lakh votes after four hours of ballot counting in the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election.
Gandhi surpassed all expectations, taking over the constituency after her brother Rahul Gandhi shifted focus to Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh following his 2024 Lok Sabha victory. During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi achieved a resounding victory in Wayanad, amassing 6,47,445 votes with a decisive margin of 3,64,422 votes.
Priyanka’s victory marks a historic milestone, as it brings all three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family—Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka—into Parliament for the first time in decades, representing both houses. Rahul Gandhi's 2019 victory in this constituency was viewed as a strategic move, providing a secure southern stronghold following the party’s poor performance in northern India. Priyanka’s campaign in Wayanad capitalized on this foundation, drawing on the goodwill associated with her family name in Kerala and the constituency’s longstanding support for Congress.
In the Palakkad Assembly by-election, Congress-UDF candidate Rahul Mamkootathil claimed a decisive win with a lead exceeding 18,000 votes. Simultaneously, LDF's U.R. Pradeep secured a commanding victory in the Chelakkara Assembly by-election.
Palakkad byelection: UDF's Rahul Mamkootathil wins by 18840 votes, setback for BJP