Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has secured her first electoral victory, winning the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election with a margin of 4.08 lakh votes. While her margin fell slightly short of her brother Rahul Gandhi’s record of 4.30 lakh votes in 2019, it remains a decisive win for the Congress leader in her debut election.

The bypoll was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat earlier this year to retain Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, a constituency previously represented by their mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Initial concerns among Wayanad voters regarding Rahul Gandhi’s departure were dispelled when Priyanka Gandhi’s candidature was announced.

In a post on X, she said, “My dearest sisters and brothers of Wayanad, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the trust you have placed in me. I will make sure that over time, you truly feel this victory has been your victory and the person you chose to represent you understands your hopes and dreams and fights for you as one of your own. I look forward to being your voice in Parliament!”.

Priyanka’s campaign gained traction in the aftermath of a devastating landslide in July, which affected four villages in the hilly district.

The bypoll witnessed a decrease in voter turnout, falling from 73.57% in the April 2024 general election to 64.22% this time. However, Priyanka Gandhi maintained a strong lead throughout the counting process.

Her primary opponents, Sathyan Mokheri of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Navya Haridas of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), secured 2.09 lakh and 1.09 lakh votes, respectively. Both candidates failed to match their parties’ vote counts from the April 2024 general elections, where CPI’s Annie Raja and BJP’s K. Surendran had garnered 2.83 lakh and 1.41 lakh votes, respectively.

(Inputs from agencies)