Wayanad bypoll: Debutant Priyanka Gandhi Vadra leads by over 1 lakh votes

Priyanka has made her electoral debut by contesting from Wayanad, which was won by her brother and Congress top leader Rahul Gandhi for two consecutive terms in 2019 and 2024.

The Congress general secretary became the candidate after Rahul resigned keeping the other seat he won in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking on her poll debut, Priyanka had said during the campaign, "When I was 17 years old, I campaigned for the first time for my father in 1989. It's now 35 years, I have campaigned for my mother, my brother and many of my colleagues in different elections. But this is the first time I'm campaigning for myself.

"I'm deeply grateful to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge-ji for giving me this privilege to be the UDF candidate and to my family for supporting me to be a candidate for Wayanad. It's my honour to represent you if you give me a chance."

Rahul won from the Gandhi bastion Rae Bareli in 2024, five years after Wayanad saved his face after electoral defeat to former Union Minister Smriti Irani in Amethi.

Wayanad went to the bypolls on November 13.