All eyes are once again on Wayanad in Kerala. This time the reason is Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, sister of Congress leader and former MP Rahul Gandhi. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday filed her nomination papers for the upcoming Lok Sabha by-election in the presence of top party leaders including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge. Although Wayanad is considered a safe seat for the Congress, the candidates Priyanka will contest against will make this contest interesting.
Actually, the Lok Sabha by-election is the beginning of Priyanka Gandhi’s electoral journey. Priyanka stayed away from electoral politics for a long time and continued campaigning for her family members and other Congress members. The entry of Priyanka, 52, into the electoral contest is seen as a strategic move by the Congress Party. Priyanka Gandhi is contesting against Satyan Mokeri of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Navya Haridas of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the seat vacated after Rahul Gandhi left Wayanad. Mokeri is one of Kerala’s veteran leaders, while technocrat-turned-politician Navya Haridas is a software engineer by profession.
BJP candidates have worked in Singapore and the Netherlands.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Navya Haridas has entered the fray with a mix of professional and political experience. He has been called an “accidental politician.” Haridas had worked in Singapore and the Netherlands before joining politics. After returning to India, she served twice as a councilor in the Kozhikode Corporation and is currently working as the state general secretary of Mahila Morcha for the BJP.
Navya had told The Indian Express how she became a politician accidentally when she went to Kozhikode with her children for a vacation in 2015. She said, “It was election time and the BJP approached me to give me a ticket considering my background. family in Sangh Parivar. I was introduced from a general seat in the corporation. Overnight I became a candidate. My plan was that if I had lost, I would have returned to Singapore, but I never returned and won two elections, one. after another.
Navya Haridas also has previous electoral experience. She contested the 2021 assembly elections from Kozhikode south assembly constituency, where she finished third, but significantly increased the BJP’s vote share. Navya, who has experience in people’s representation and local governance, criticized her rival Priyanka Gandhi and the Gandhi family, saying the Congress did not do enough during the Wayanad landslide that killed over 400 people in the hill district. Navya said, “Wayanad is just another seat for the Gandhi family.”
Satyan Mokeri has been a strong voice of the Left Front.
Communist Party of India (CPI) candidate Satyan Mokeri is the third big name in Wayanad. Mokeri is a seasoned politician with a long career in Kerala politics. Mokeri, who is often referred to as the roaring lion of the Kerala Assembly, has been a strong voice of the Left Front. He is an experienced communist leader. Son of freedom fighters P Kelappan Nair and Kalyani Mokeri, he entered public life as secretary of the All India Students Federation (AISF) unit.
Mokeri served as MLA from Nadapuram constituency from 1987 to 2001 and also held several positions, including national secretary of All India Kisan Sabha and member of the National Control Commission of the CPI. He is known for his advocacy on agricultural issues and his participation on several commissions, including the Agricultural Debt Relief Commission. Mokeri is confident in her ability to challenge Priyanka Gandhi, drawing parallels with historic electoral setbacks, including Indira Gandhi’s defeat.
These are also the candidates in the Wayanad electoral field
Apart from the three prominent faces, Jatiya Jana Sena Party’s Duggirala Nageswara Rao, Navrang Congress Party’s Sheikh Jalil and independent candidate K Padmarajan also filed their nomination papers and joined the fray.
The bypoll in Wayanad became necessary after Rahul Gandhi, who won the seat in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, decided to vacate it to retain his Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh. The elections are scheduled for November 13, while the vote count will take place on November 23. The outcome of the Wayanad by-election will not only determine the next Wayanad MP but will also be important for the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections.
