Congress has only one reason to celebrate: Priyanka Gandhi’s Wayanad victory

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s poll debut has exceeded all the expectations.

The Congress leader has not only surpassed her brother Rahul Gandhi’s winning margin in Kerala’s Wayanad but has also become the party’s only bright spot amid a massive setback in Maharashtra while turning out to be a weak link in Jharkhand.

_Follow Maharashtra, Jharkhand election results 2024 here._

Priyanka is leading by a huge margin of over 4 lakh votes in the parliamentary by-election.

For context, Rahul Gandhi had won the seat with a margin of 3.65 lakh votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a decline from the over 4 lakh margin he received in 2019.

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How Priyanka is proving to be a saving grace for Congress

According to EC figures at 2:35 pm, the Congress is leading in only 19 seats in Maharashtra and 17 in Jharkhand.

On a national scale, the grand old party is again suffering after a brief period of hope following the Lok Sabha elections, where it managed to reduce the BJP’s tally from 303 to 240. This affected the BJP’s morale, but Congress now faces another challenging situation.

A victory in Maharashtra was seen as crucial for Congress to maintain its leadership role within the INDIA alliance, especially after a poor performance in Haryana. In Jharkhand, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress’ ally, is carrying the weight of the alliance, helping it inch closer to the halfway mark.

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If the current trends are similar to the outcome, it would be bad news for Congress, particularly in Maharashtra, where the Congress and its alliance, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), had succeeded over the BJP and Mahayuti in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

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In those elections, Congress won 13 out of Maharashtra’s 42 seats, giving the party high hopes for a major victory and even the possibility of the Chief Minister’s post. However, some Congress leaders in the state had refused to endorse Uddhav Thackeray for the position, instead claiming that the party with the most seats would secure the post.

Amid such setbacks, Priyanka Gandhi stands out as the party’s saving grace. Not only is she taking her brother’s place in Wayanad, but she is also surpassing his 2024 vote margin.

Notably, Priyanka’s debut was made possible when Rahul vacated the Wayanad seat after his win in Rae Bareilly, and the Congress party nominated his sister. At the time, Rahul had assured voters that both he and Priyanka would look after the region.

Priyanka Gandhi’s poll debut

As per the latest Election Commission figures at 2:42 pm, Priyanka Gandhi has received 617,942 votes and is leading by a margin of 408,036 votes. Her closest competitor, Sathyan Mokeri from the Communist Party of India, has received 209,906 votes, while BJP’s Navya Haridas has secured 109,202 votes so far,

A total of 16 candidates, including Priyanka, are contesting from the Wayanad constituency.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, her brother Rahul Gandhi secured a massive victory from the seat, with 647,445 votes and a winning margin of 364,422 votes.

Notably, Priyanka is contesting from Wayanad as the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate, seeking to fill the seat that her brother Rahul vacated after his victory in Rae Bareilly. She kicked off her campaign in Wayanad ahead of the bypolls, which were held on November 13, alongside bye-elections in 47 assembly seats across 15 states.

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What Wayanad win would mean for Priyanka & Congress party

If Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wins, which seems likely, it will mark her first term as a Member of Parliament.

This victory would also be historic as it would be the first time all three Gandhi family members - Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra - serve in Parliament at the same time.

Wayanad, which shares borders with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, was seen as a strategic choice for Rahul Gandhi to reconnect with voters and strengthen Congress’ foothold in the south.

The constituency was created during the 2008 delimitation exercise, carved out from Malappuram and Kozhikode, and has been consistently won by Congress.

With Priyanka now contesting the seat, Congress aims to strengthen its position and expand its presence in the region.

Priyanka’s fierce campaign in Wayanad

Over the past month, Priyanka Gandhi has led an active and strong campaign, where she set herself a target of securing a victory margin of over 5 lakh votes - something she is very close to achieving.

Rahul Gandhi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also campaigned in support of Priyanka during this time, all aiming to confirm a strong showing.

To rally public support, Rahul had encouraged Priyanka to make Wayanad a top tourist destination, saying, “When people think of Kerala, the first destination should be Wayanad. This will benefit the people of Wayanad and its economy, and the world will get to know its beauty.”

In her speech in Kozhikode last month, Priyanka praised the people of Wayanad for their continued support for her brother during challenging times.

She said, “You, the people of Wayanad have shown the country the way. A massive campaign was unleashed against my brother to tarnish his reputation. Lots of money and resources were poured into that campaign. There was a time when everybody was turning their back on him and it was at that time that all of you loved him, voted for him and supported him.”

With inputs from agencies