National: The Congress on Tuesday announced candidates for Lok Sabha and assembly bypolls and fielded Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra from Wayanad for Lok Sabha bypolls. The Congress also fielded Rahul Mamkootathil from Palakkad for the Kerala assembly bypolls and said Ramya Haridas will contest from Chelakkara for assembly bypolls in Kerala. 

Earlier in the day, the Election Commission announced bypolls to Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala and Nanded seat in Maharashtra. Wayanad seat was vacated by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi after he was also elected to Lok Sabha from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh in the general elections held earlier this year.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had announced in June that Rahul Gandhi will retain Raebareli, a traditional seat of the Gandhi family and vacate his Wayanad seat where the party will field Priyanka Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi had won Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad in 2019 and 2024 is now Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Wayanad will go to the polls on November 13 along with voting for bye-elections in 47 assembly seats across 15 states. The first phase of assembly polls in Jharkhand will also be held on November 13.

If Priyanka Gandhi wins Lok Sabha polls, she will be the third MP from the Gandhi family in the current Parliament. Rahul Gandhi is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Sonia Gandhi is a member of Rajya Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi also expressed confidence of Priyanka Gandhi winning from Wayanad. "Priyanka Gandhi is going to fight the elections and I am confident that she is going to win the elections. The people of Wayanad can think that they have two members of the Parliament, one is my sister and the other is me. My doors are always open for the people of Wayanad, I love every single person in Wayanad," he added.