Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has won her debut by-election from Wayanad with a bigger margin than her brother Rahul Gandhi, NDTV reported.
Priyanka fills the vacancy left by Gandhi when he had moved to Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. Her final score stood at over 6 lakh votes when the counting ended in the evening, over 4 lakh more than her nearest rival and CPI veteran Sathyan Mokeri's tally of about 2 lakh votes.
Rahul Gandhi had won the seat by a margin of over 3.65 lakh votes in the Lok Sabha elections held earlier this year, down from the 4.3 lakh margin he had secured in 2019.
Priyanka Gandhi thanked the voters in a long post on X, saying that she was overwhelmed by the trust people have posed in her.
"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," she said.
Priyanka’s brother Rahul Gandhi was elected from this seat for the first time in 2019, which allowed him to remain a Lok Sabha member despite losing in Amethi.
In 2024, Rahul contested from both Wayanad and Rae Bareli, left vacant by his mother Sonia Gandhi after she moved to Rajya Sabha. Having won both the seats, he decided to keep Rae Bareli and let his sister Priyanka Gandhi contest from Wayanad.
bd-pratidin/GR
