The Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll will be held on November 13, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced on Tuesday. Wayanad is the only parliamentary constituency where bypolls will be conducted along with 47 other assembly constituencies.
The last date for filing nominations is on October 25 and last date for withdrawal of candidature is October 30. Counting of votes will be done on November 23 and results will be announced on the same date.
Wayanad is headed for bypolls after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resigned from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat on June 18 in favour of retaining the Rae Bareli constituency. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has announced her candidature from the constituency.
After giving up Wayanad in favour of Rae Bareli, Rahul Gandhi penned an emotional letter to the people of Wayanad on June 24. He expressed his love for the constituency and its people in his letter and appealed to them to give his sister Priyanka Gandhi an opportunity to represent them in the 18th Lok Sabha.
“When I faced abuse day after day, your unconditional love protected me. You were my refuge, my home, and my family. I never felt for even a moment that you doubted me,” wrote Rahul Gandhi in his letter.
{{/usCountry}}“When I faced abuse day after day, your unconditional love protected me. You were my refuge, my home, and my family. I never felt for even a moment that you doubted me,” wrote Rahul Gandhi in his letter.
{{/usCountry}}“I am sad, but I am consoled because my sister Priyanka will be there to represent you. I am confident that she will do an excellent job of being your MP if you decide to give her the opportunity,” he added.
Wayand Lok Sabha poll 2024
During 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Wayanad, Rahul Gandhi beat Communist Party of India's (CPI) Annie Raja by a margin of whooping 3,64,422 votes, while Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Kerala State President K Surendran finished third by securing 1,41,045 votes.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Rahul secured a 64.67% vote share from Wayanad, defeating Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate PP Suneer, who managed to get 25.14%. The victory margin was recorded at 39.53%, a figure unmatched by any winning candidate in the constituency so far.
In that year, the Rahul Gandhi lost from Amethi, a constituency he had represented in the lower house of Parliament for three consecutive terms from 2004 to 2019. His political opponent, Smriti Irani, secured 49.71% of the votes, while he received 43.86%.