Congress general secretary and United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate Priyanka Gandhi is set to file her nomination papers on October 23 for the upcoming parliamentary bypolls in Kerala's Wayanad, according to sources. Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and former MP from Wayanad, will accompany Priyanka on the day. The siblings will also conduct a roadshow prior to the nomination filing.
The Congress party approved Priyanka's candidature on October 15, following the announcement of the bypoll schedule by the Election Commission of India. In preparation for the bypolls, Congress appointed Saral Patel as Media Coordinator for Wayanad with immediate effect, as stated in an AICC release.
Wayanad will participate in the polls on November 13, alongside bye-elections in 47 assembly seats across 15 states. The first phase of assembly polls in Jharkhand will also take place on the same day. The Wayanad seat was vacated by Rahul Gandhi after he was elected to Lok Sabha from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh during the general elections earlier this year.
If Priyanka Gandhi wins the Lok Sabha polls, she will become the third MP from the Gandhi family in the current Parliament, joining Sonia Gandhi, who is a member of Rajya Sabha. Priyanka has maintained her connections with the family strongholds of Amethi and Raebareli, where she had previously managed affairs before entering active politics.
After Kharge announced in June that Priyanka Gandhi would contest from Wayanad, she affirmed her ongoing commitment to Amethi and Raebareli. "I am very happy to represent Wayanad and will not let them feel Rahul's absence. I will work hard to make everyone happy and be a good representative. My relationship with Raebareli and Amethi is very old and cannot be broken. I will also help my brother in Rae Bareli. We will both be present in Rae Bareli and Wayanad," Priyanka had said in the presence of Kharge and her brother Rahul Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi expressed confidence in Priyanka's victory, stating, "I want everyone in Wayanad to know that Priyanka is going to fight elections in Wayanad, but I will be a frequent visitor and available to the people of Wayanad. The commitments we have made will be upheld. I have an old relationship with Raebareli, and I am happy to represent them again, but it was a tough decision." He further added, "Priyanka Gandhi is going to fight the elections, and I am confident she will win. The people of Wayanad can think of having two members of Parliament, one being my sister and the other being me. My doors are always open for the people of Wayanad, I love every single person in Wayanad."
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