Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has crossed her brother Rahul Gandhi’s winning margin in Kerala’s Wayanad.
She is leading by a margin of over 3.9 lakh votes in the parliamentary by-election, which was held to fill the vacancy left by Rahul Gandhi when he moved to Raebareli.
Mr Gandhi had won the seat by a margin of over 3.65 lakh votes in the Lok Sabha elections held this year, down from the 4 lakh-plus margin he had secured in 2019.
Priyanka Gandhi, who is making her electoral debut from Wayanad, has won over 5.9 lakh votes so far. CPI veteran Sathyan Mokeri is trailing with about 2 lakh votes while the BJP’s Navya Haridas is in the third spot with about a lakh votes.
A total of 16 candidates, including Ms Gandhi, are contesting from Wayanad.
Rahul Gandhi was elected from this seat for the first time in 2019, which allowed him to remain a Lok Sabha member despite losing in Amethi.
In 2024, he contested from both Wayanad and Rae Bareli, left vacant by his mother Sonia Gandhi after she moved to Rajya Sabha. Having won both the seats, he decided to keep Rae Bareli and let his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contest from Wayanad.
Rahul Gandhi and his mother and former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had been actively campaigning for Priyanka Gandhi over the past month, having set a target of over 5 lakh victory margin.
Trying to gather maximum public support, Rahul Gandhi challenged his sister to make Wayanad the best tourist destination.
“When people think of Kerala, the first destination should be Wayanad. This will benefit the people of Wayanad and its economy, and the world will get to know its beauty,” he had said.