New Delhi: Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi along with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra left for Kerala's Wayanad from Delhi airport on Tuesday.
Party candidate for Wayanad Lok Sabha by-elections Priyanka Gandhi will file her nomination papers on Wednesday in the presence of CPP Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, and Rahul Gandhi.
Meanwhile, exuding confidence over the candidature of Priyanka Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that she will emerge as a passionate champion of Wayanad's needs and a powerful voice in Parliament.
"The people of Wayanad hold a special place in my heart, and I can't imagine a better representative for them than my sister, Priyanka Gandhi.
I'm confident she will be a passionate champion of Wayanad's needs and a powerful voice in Parliament. Join us tomorrow, 23rd October, as she files her nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. Together, let's ensure Wayanad continues to be represented with love," Rahul Gandhi wrote on X.
"The people of India have saved the Constitution and democracy. The deprived and poor population of the country stood with India to protect their rights. Congratulations to all the alliance partners and the lion workers of Congress," Rahul Gandhi said in a separate post on X.
Earlier on Monday, Priyanka Gandhi met Kharge in Delhi to discuss campaign strategies as she prepares to file nomination for the by-elections in Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. Vadra, along with Rahul Gandhi, will lead a roadshow from Waynad's Kalpetta New Bus Stand in the morning before filing the nomination on Wednesday.
After the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the bypoll, Congress declared Gandhi's candidature for the Waynad seat as part of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala. Senior Congress leaders will also remain present during Gandhi's nomination filing before the district collector in the afternoon.
After being active in politics for five years, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will make her electoral debut in the Waynad Lok Sabha constituency, where the by-poll is scheduled to be held on November 13. Along with this, the election commission announced by-elections in 47 assembly seats across 15 states.
If Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, she will be the third person from the Gandhi family to enter Parliament. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi retained the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh and vacated the Wayanad seat, paving the way for his sister to make her electoral debut.
Gandhi is contesting against Navya Haridas, a candidate fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Left Democratic Front's (LDF) candidate Sathyan Mokeri. Haridas is a two-time Kozhikode Corporation councillor. Rahul Gandhi had said both Rae Bareli and Wayanad would get two MPs and had also expressed confidence in Priyanka Gandhi winning from Wayanad.
Priyanka Gandhi was responsible for taking care of the Gandhi family's stronghold in Amethi and Rae Bareli before entering active politics, where she emerged as an important strategist for her party. Meanwhile, Congress appointed Saral Patel as the media coordinator for Wayanad ahead of the by-election with immediate effect.
