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Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. (Image: PTI/File)
The Grand Old Party decided to pick Priyanka for the electoral battle after her brother and party leader Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat to retain the family pocket borough of Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is all set to make her electoral debut from Kerala’s Wayanad on November 13 as the Election Commission on Tuesday announced dates for bypolls to two parliamentary constituencies and 48 assembly constituencies along with the schedule for the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections.
The Grand Old Party decided to pick Priyanka for the electoral battle after her brother and party leader Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat to retain the family pocket borough of Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh.
It was in 1999 that Priyanka Gandhi entered politics to campaign for her mother Sonia Gandhi against BJP candidate Arun Nehru in Amethi. However, she never threw her hat in the electoral ring despite several sections of the Congress pinning hopes on her to take her grandmother and mother’s legacy forward in Uttar Pradesh.
Priyanka Gandhi’s selection from Wayanad is also part of the Congress party’s plans to expand its footprint down South, especially in Kerala. The party is in power in Karnataka and Telangana and rules Tamil Nadu with its ally DMK. Unlike the North, where BJP has a stronger presence, the Congress is keen to win over the South.
If Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, which is considered a safe seat for the Congress, it will be the first time that three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family will be in Parliament at the same time — Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi in Lok Sabha and Sonia Gandhi in Rajya Sabha.
