Wayanad, Oct 28 (IANS): Congress General Secretary and candidate for Wayanad Lok Sabha bypolls, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will commence her debut election campaign on Monday.
Wayanad goes to the polls on November 13.
Taking to social media, she posted on her X handle that she would be interacting with the people during the day. "The people of Wayanad have stood with truth, justice and democracy in the past and have worked to strengthen the spirit of the Constitution. The people of Wayanad will continue to strengthen the Constitution and democracy and write a new chapter of development and progress. The zeal and enthusiasm of the people are worth seeing..." she said.
Priyanka Gandhi will land by helicopter at Meenangadi where she is slated to address three election rallies. On Tuesday, also she has four election meetings, following which she will return, ending the first two days of her election campaign.
The state Congress party is aiming to give Priyanka Gandhi a victory with the biggest-ever margin from Kerala. The party's target is five lakh votes.
Incidentally, the state leadership kept their word when the biggest ever crowd witnessed for any event in the hilly district turned up at the roadshow and a meeting on Wednesday following which she submitted her nomination.
She was accompanied by her mother Sonia Gandhi, who came to the district after a decade. A galaxy of national leaders accompanied Priyanka Gandhi in filing of nomination and the roadshow.
On Saturday. Priyanka wrote a passionate letter in both English and Malayalam to the people of Wayanad stating that it would be an honour to learn from them and to become part of this courageous community that knows how to respect each other and stand tall even in the most trying times.
She ended her letter by stating she would be deeply grateful to them if they chose to make her their MP.
The by-election became a necessity after her brother Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat after retaining the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 general elections.
The CPI has fielded veteran former legislator Sathyan Mokeri who finished a close third during the 2014 general elections in Wayanad while the BJP has brought in young Kozhikode Corporation party Councilor Navya Haridas, a former software engineer who quit her job and plunged into full-time politics.
Rahul Gandhi won the 2019 general elections with a margin of 4.60 lakh from Wayanad which came down to 3.64 lakh in the 2024 general elections.
The constituency is spread across seven Assembly constituencies in three districts -- Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode and in the two days she is here, she will address one election meeting in all the seven constituencies.
Of the seven, four are held by the Congress-led UDF, two by the CPI(M) and one was won by the Left-backed Independent legislator P.V. Anvar who has now split up with the ruling Left and floated his party.