Priyanka Gandhi Vadra registers thumping victory in Wayanad Lok Sabha by-poll
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, 52, contested her first election and surpassed Rahul Gandhi’s victory margin of 364,000 votes in Wayanad this summer
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, 52, contesting her first election registered a thumping victory in the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-poll on Saturday, defeating Communist Party of India (CPI)’s Sathyan Mokeri by a margin of 4,10,931 votes. She surpassed Rahul Gandhi’s victory margin of 364,000 votes this summer. In 2019, Rahul Gandhi won the Wayanad seat by 431,000 votes.

The by-poll in Wayanad was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat and retained Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh), the second seat he contested.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra got 622,338 votes or nearly 65% of the total polled. The Congress’s vote share rose by over 5%. Mokeri got 2,11,407 votes and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Navya Haridas 1,09,939. CPI and BJP‘s vote-shares declined by 4% and 1.5%.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that she looked forward to being Wayanad’s voice in Parliament. “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,” she wrote on X.
She thanked her colleagues in the United Democratic Front (UDF) “for working incredibly hard in this campaign”, for tolerating her 12-hour daily car journeys, and for “fighting like true soldiers for the ideals we all believe in”.
She referred to her mother Sonia Gandhi, husband Robert Vadra, and children Raihan and Miraya, and said no gratitude is ever enough for the love and courage they give her. “And to my brother, Rahul, you are the bravest of them all… thank you for showing me the way and having my back, always!” she wrote.
She secured leads in all seven assembly segments, including Thiruvambady and Mananthavady, which are with the ruling Left Democratic Front.
Wayanad has been a UDF stronghold. The Congress has held the seat since 2009 when it was carved out post-delimitation.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spent nearly 10 days campaigning in Wayanad, promising the voters she would find solutions to the long-standing problems such as the night traffic ban to Mysuru, the man-animal conflict, better health and educational facilities, especially for tribal communities.
The by-poll was held months after the July 30 landslides in Wayanad which left over 251 people dead and 47 missing. In her campaign, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra hit out at the Union government for denying Wayanad a special financial package for the rehabilitation of those who lost their homes and livelihoods.
Haridas accused Congress of forcing the by-poll with seven months. She said that national leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were always going to be absent from the constituency.
Haridas thanked her party colleagues for leading a positive campaign. “I am happy when senior leaders and well-wishers tell me that I was able to lead a strong campaign as a political novice against a well-established rival,” she said.
