Priyanka Gandhi Vadra takes oath as Lok Sabha MP
What's the story
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was sworn in as a Lok Sabha member from Kerala's Wayanad on Thursday. She succeeded her brother, Rahul Gandhi, who vacated the seat after winning both Wayanad and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. This is Priyanka's electoral debut and makes her the third member of the Gandhi family serving in Parliament. Her mother, Sonia Gandhi, is a Rajya Sabha MP.
Election win
Priyanka's significant victory in Wayanad bypolls
Priyanka won the Wayanad bypolls by a huge margin, polling over 6.22 lakh votes. She defeated Communist Party of India candidate Sathyan Mokeri by over four lakh votes and BJP's Navya Haridas by 5.12 lakh votes. The bypoll was necessitated after Rahul decided to keep his seat in Raebareli after winning the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from both constituencies.
Political landscape
Wayanad constituency: A Congress stronghold
The Congress bastion of Wayanad saw a triangular contest between Priyanka, Mokeri, and Haridas. Despite the low voter turnout, she won by a margin of 4,10,931 votes. This was more than her brother's lead of 3,64,422 votes in the April elections. With Priyanka's entry into Lok Sabha, all three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family are part of Parliament for the first time in decades.
Oath ceremony
Priyanka takes oath alongside fellow Congress leader
Priyanka took her oath along with Congress leader Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan, who won the Nanded Lok Sabha seat bypoll with 5,86,788 votes. The Nanded seat fell vacant after sitting MP Vasantrao Balwantrao Chavan passed away. While Priyanka and Rahul will sit in the Lok Sabha, Sonia is a Rajya Sabha member from Rajasthan.