Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addressed a public meeting in Wayanad in Kerala
New Delhi:
Her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul on stage, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, today said she had been campaigning in elections for 35 years but this was the first time she sought support for herself.
She was addressing a public meeting in Wayanad in Kerala before filing her nomination for the upcoming assembly poll. The Wayanad seat was earlier represented by Rahul Gandhi, who also won the seat this time. However, Gandhi retained the seat of Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh and left Wayanad, paving the way for her sister's plunge into electoral politics.
When I was 17 years old, I campaigned for my father for the first time in 1989. It has now been 35 years since I campaigned for my mother, my brother and many of my colleagues in various elections.
But this is the first time I'm campaigning for myself. I am deeply grateful for… pic.twitter.com/6A7JhOPB8C
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 23, 2024
“I was 17 when I campaigned for my father (former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi). Then I campaigned for my mother and brother and many of my colleagues. I have campaigned in various elections for 35 years, but this is my first time doing so. campaigning in an election and seeking your support for myself, it is a completely different feeling,” she said and thanked Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge for the opportunity to contest the elections. “It will be my honor to represent you if you give me the opportunity.”
Mrs Gandhi Vadra said she and Rahul Gandhi visited Mundakkai and Churalmala in Wayanad in the wake of the devastating landslides that claimed over 400 lives and displaced thousands.
“I saw the devastation with my own eyes. I saw children who lost their families. I met mothers who lost their children. I met people whose entire lives had been washed away. I was struck by one thing: every person I met was committed to helping each other. They supported each other with courage, without greed and with compassion. To be part of your community will be a great privilege for me,” she said.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, said what Wayanad has done for him cannot be expressed in words. “Wayanad will have an official MP and an unofficial MP in Lok Sabha and both of them will raise your issues,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that Mrs Gandhi Vadra is a strong leader and appealed to the people of Wayanad to put their trust in her.
Wayanad is among the 48 Lok Sabha seats voting on November 13. The counting of votes will take place on November 23, alongside the results of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.