National: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to file her nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll on Wednesday. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will be present on the occasion, news agency PTI reported citing party sources. On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will also lead a roadshow from Kalpetta New Bus Stand at 11 AM. Following this, the nomination will be filed before the district collector at around 12 noon.

With the Election Commission (EC) announcing the bypoll to the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat last week, the stage was set for Priyanka Gandhi's electoral debut from the Kerala constituency that could see her enter Parliament five years after joining active politics. Soon after the EC announced the Wayanad bypoll, the Congress declared that Priyanka Gandhi (52) would be its candidate from the seat in Kerala. With the Congress fielding the AICC general secretary from Wayanad, party workers had put up posters in the constituency which had "Wayanadinte Priyankari (Wayanad's beloved)" written on them. 

BJP fields Navya Haridas against Priyanka 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. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded Navya Haridas against Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll. Haridas 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.

Bypolls 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.