GUWAHATI: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra clinched a resounding victory in Kerala's Wayanad elections, securing over 6.22 lakh votes in her electoral debut. This win for Gandhi came against Communist Party of India’s Sathyan Mokeri by a margin of 4.1 lakh votes.
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The voter turnout for the Wayanad bypoll was approximately 65%, a decline from 74% in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year and much lower than the 80% turnout seen in the 2019 general elections. Despite this, Priyanka’s victory was emphatic, surpassing Rahul Gandhi’s earlier margin of 3.65 lakh votes from 2019.
The bypoll in Wayanad was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi, who won both Wayanad and Rae Bareli seats in the 2024 general elections, chose to retain Rae Bareli. The seat, which has traditionally been a Congress stronghold, marked Priyanka Gandhi’s first foray into electoral politics.
Rahul Gandhi had actively campaigned for his sister leading up to the elections, emphasising her connection with the constituency. “If she likes you, she will do whatever; beyond anything you can imagine,” he said at a rally. “She is also going to like Wayanad a lot... She is going to like it.”
The bypoll results were announced on the same day as the counting for 48 assembly seats across 14 states and two Lok Sabha constituencies — Wayanad in Kerala and Nanded in Maharashtra.
