Priyanka Gandhi to make poll debut from Wayanad, says "not nervous"

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to make her electoral debut from Kerala's Wayanad, a seat soon to be vacated by her brother Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi will now represent Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh, a constituency long held by their mother, Sonia Gandhi, who moved to the Rajya Sabha earlier this year.

Following the announcement by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Priyanka expressed her confidence and commitment to her new role, stating, “I am very happy to be able to represent the people of Wayanad. I won't let them feel his (Rahul Gandhi's) absence. He said he will come frequently, but I will work just as hard and try to make everyone happy.”

This move comes after the Congress reclaimed the Amethi seat in Uttar Pradesh, with KL Sharma, a close aide of the Gandhi family, defeating BJP’s former Union minister Smriti Irani.

Kharge explained the decision, emphasizing Rahul Gandhi's strong emotional connection to Raebareli. The Kerala Congress supported this move, as evidenced by KC Venugopal's presence at the press conference alongside Kharge.

Expressing gratitude to the people of Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi assured them that they would now have "two members of parliament." He acknowledged the difficulty of the decision but emphasized that Priyanka would contest from Wayanad while he would remain a frequent visitor to fulfill their promises.

Priyanka Gandhi's entry into electoral politics has been anticipated since 2019 when many expected her to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi. However, she did not contest at that time. In the recent general election, she declined to run again, and the plan was for Rahul to contest from Amethi and Raebareli. The decision to field KL Sharma in Amethi proved successful, with Sharma defeating Smriti Irani by 1.6 lakh votes.

Priyanka had previously expressed concerns about all three Gandhis being in parliament, fearing it would bolster the BJP’s "dynastic politics" allegations.