National: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday released its list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly bypolls. The party has fielded Navya Haridas against Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll. The party has also released the list of candidates for Assembly bypolls from Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and West Bengal. The party also named 24 candidates for Assembly polls across eight states. Former MP Sunil Soni will contest from the Raipur City South assembly in Chhattisgarh.

Navya Haridas Vs Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad

The Congress had officially named Priyanka Gandhi as its candidate for the Wayanad bypoll, a seat previously held by Rahul Gandhi. The bypoll was necessitated when Rahul vacated the Wayanad seat following his decision to retain Amethi after winning from both constituencies in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 

Who is Navya Haridas?

Navya Haridas, the BJP candidate set to challenge Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad, is known as one of the dynamic leaders of the party. A mechanical engineer by profession, Navya completed her B.Tech in 2007. According to her social media profile, she is a councillor in Kozhikode Corporation and also serves as the state general secretary of the BJP Mahila Morcha.

Byelections 2024

The Election Commission of India announced bypolls for 48 Assembly constituencies and two Parliamentary seats on October 15. The bypolls are set to occur in two phases alongside the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections. Voting for the first phase, covering 47 Assembly constituencies and the Wayanad parliamentary seat in Kerala, will take place on November 13. The second phase will occur on November 20 for the Kedarnath Assembly constituency in Uttarakhand and the Nanded parliamentary seat in Maharashtra. Results will be counted and announced on November 23.