BJP’s Wayanad candidate goes to Kerala HC against Priyanka’s election

Kochi: Navya Haridas, the BJP candidate who lost to Congress candidate Priyanka Gandhi in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll held on November 13, filed a petition on Friday before the Kerala High Court, challenging her election.

Haridas in her complaint alleges that Priyanka has not given the correct statement of assets that she and her family own and hence appropriate action should be taken for the violation of the norms of the Election Commission of India.

She has demanded that the election victory of Priyanka should be annulled.

Priyanka Gandhi clinched her electoral victory in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll with a commanding margin of 4,10,931 votes.

While Priyanka got 6,22,338 votes, veteran former CPI legislator Sathyan Mokeri finished second with 2,11,407 votes and Haridas came a distant third with just 1,09,939 votes.

Incidentally, Priyanka bettered the victory margin of Rahul of 3.60 lakhs votes which he got in the April Lok Sabha polls, but fell short of his margin of 4.30 lakhs which he won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The bypoll was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat earlier this year. During the campaign, the primary question revolved around whether Priyanka could surpass her brother’s record-breaking margin.

Priyanka’s victory marks a significant moment in her political journey, coming nearly 20 years after she first campaigned for her mother, Sonia Gandhi, in Raebareli and her brother in Amethi during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

Her debut as an elected representative is seen as a pivotal step in solidifying the Congress’ presence in Kerala and revitalising the party’s fortunes at the national level.