Wayanad bypoll: Low voter turnout dampens Congress spirits
Political observers say that the massive turnout of crowd during the campaigns of Priyanka in the constituency is not reflected in the polling.
Marking her debut in electoral politics, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi filed her nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll in Kerala on Wednesday.
She filed the nomination papers in the presence of her mother and Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, party president Mallikarjun Kharge, her brother and party leader Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal and Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah among other leaders.
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Earlier, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Vadra officially signed her nomination papers in the presence of local leaders.
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Ahead of her nomination, Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi held a roadshow from Kalpetta Bus Stand.
Addressing a public rally in Wayanad, Priyanka said, ”You stood with my brother when the whole world was turning its back against him… You gave him your strength and courage to keep fighting… My whole family will always remain indebted and grateful to you…”
She said, ” I know he had to leave you and I promise that I will only strengthen the bond between you and him… He has explained to me the large issues you are facing… My brother has explained to me the struggles you face. I want to come to your house and understand straight from you what your issues are and how we can tackle them…”
Priyanka said it has been 35 years since she has been campaigning for different elections and this is the first time that she was campaigning for herself.
Rahul Gandhi also addressed the people.
Priyanka then filed her nomination papers to the district collector’s office at Kalpetta where her family, including husband Robert Vadra and son, and Congress leaders were present.
The Wayanad seat was vacated by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi who retained the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha Constituency.
Gandhi is up against BJP candidate Navya Haridas and Left Democratic Front’s (LDF) nominee Sathyan Mokeri.
Haridas is a two-time Kozhikode Corporation councillor. She has already started a door-to-door campaign in the Mukkam area under the Wayanad constituency.
The BJP nominee told reporters “We are getting a very positive response from the public. We started the campaign three days back with a roadshow. Not only the BJP workers but the other public is also welcoming.”
In Kozhikode district of Kerala, the BJP candidate said, “Today, she (Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) is filing her nomination. And we could see that it is just a ‘josh’ for a day. Soon after filing the nomination, she will be returning. It is just a 7-day schedule for the program. But I can promise that I will be with the people of Wayanad for the upcoming 5 years…”
BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar said Rahul Gandhi fooled them once but the people will not be fooled again.
“Being parachuted into Wayanad is nothing but an attempt to hoodwink the people of Wayanad again. I don’t think the people of Wayanad are ready to be fooled again. Rahul Gandhi fooled them once but this time they will not be fooled. The NDA has put forth a very competent, dynamic, hard-working candidate Navya Haridas. She has a proven track record of serving the public as a counsellor. ”
So, he said, sharp differences between the BJP and the Congress are visible in Wayanad. ”Rahul Gandhi for five years did nothing. I suspect Priyanka Gandhi will continue to follow the same tradition. I think the people of Wayanad will certainly support Navya Haridas because she’s a much more competent person. She’s more qualified. She’s from Kerala, she speaks Malayalam and she is committed to working hard for the people of Wayanad.
”Priyanka Gandhi is not from Kerala, doesn’t speak Malayalam, doesn’t know what the problems of Wayanad are and is succeeding an MP, her own brother, who did nothing for Wayanad for the last five years…”
In New Delhi, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said there is no mission or vision in the INDIA Alliances.
“Priyanka Ji will file nomination but Rahul Gandhi should make an apology because he has used and treated the people of Wayanad like a backup. We have seen that when Amethi rejected him, Wayanad accepted him. But he contested a second seat without telling the people of Wayanad… They think this is a ‘Parivarik jagir’ (ancestral property) or a private limited company,” he said.
He further said ”the question today is who is the real INDIA Alliance candidate? Is it the Congress candidate Priyanka Vadra or is it the Left party candidate Mokeri? It is just confusion and division. There is no mission or vision in the INDIA Alliance… Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the people of Wayanad today when he goes there…”
If Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, she will be the third person from the Gandhi family to enter Parliament.
If Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, she will be the third person from the Gandhi family to enter Parliament.
The bypoll in Wayanad is scheduled to be held on November 13.
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