KALPETTA: The margin of over four lakh votes garnered by Priyanka Gandhi in the by-election in Wayanad would instill more confidence in the Congress and the UDF, though the victory was a foregone conclusion. The party leaders were on tenterhooks when the polling percentage showed a decline of around 6% because any considerable dip in Priyanka’s margin would land the party in an embarrassing situation and become a topic of nationwide discussion.
There was an apprehension that the predictability of the outcome might have led the Congress supporters to show disinterest in voting. But Priyanka’s campaign managers, especially T Siddique, were confident that the party could poll all the party votes. Siddique had said that the decline in the polling percentage was due to abstention of LDF voters. Priyanka won with a margin of 4,10,913 votes, more than the margin of Rahul Gandhi in the 2024 general elections.
The results show that there is a significant decline in the number of votes the CPI candidate Sathyan Mokeri got compared to the votes garnered by Annie Raja in 2024 general elections. There is a dip of over 60,000 votes compared to the performance of the LDF candidate last time. The poor performance of the CPI leader may lead to discussions in the coming days in the backdrop of the already strained relationship between the CPI and the CPM.
The BJP also suffered a drop in the vote percentage compared to the votes garnered by its state president K Surendran in the 2024 general elections. But the party got around 1,10,000 votes, which is a good performance considering the fact that Navya Haridas is a political lightweight.
Unlike her brother Rahul, Priyanka spent more time in the constituency and had attended even street-corner meetings. She was in the constituency for twelve days and attended 28 street-corner meetings and three public meetings.
The workers of the IUML were particularly enthusiastic because they could liberally use the party flag, which was banned during Rahul’s campaign in the general elections.
Meanwhile, Priyanka has thanked voters in Wayanad for the “trust they have placed in her.” In a message on the social media platform, she said “I look forward to being your voice in Parliament.”
“My colleagues in the UDF, leaders from across Kerala, workers, volunteers and my office colleagues who worked incredibly hard in this campaign, thank you for your support, for tolerating my 12-hour a day (no food, no rest) car journeys, and for fighting like true soldiers for the ideals we all believe in,” she said.
Rahul said he feels “immense pride as my family in Wayanad has placed its trust in Priyanka.” In a message, he said: “I know she will lead with courage, compassion, and unwavering dedication to transform our cherished Wayanad into a beacon of progress and prosperity.”
Meanwhile, CPI district secretary E J Babu has said the party would examine the dip in vote share. In a statement, he said there was a lack of interest among voters because it was an election imposed on them.
Puthuppally
Puthuppally
Votes Polled: 1,30,563
Polling Percentage: 73.17
Candidate Party Votes %
Chandy Oommen CONG 80,144 61.38
Jaick C Thomas CPM 42,425 32.49
Ligin Lal BJP 6,558 5.02
Chandy Oommen elected by a margin of 37,719 votes
