What’s behind Rahul Gandhi’s move to give up Wayanad? What does Priyanka’s electoral debut mean?

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to make her electoral debut from the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in Kerala after her brother, Rahul Gandhi, decided to give up the seat to retain the Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh. The former Congress chief had won both seats in these Lok Sabha elections by a margin of over three lakh votes.

However, rules allow a candidate to hold only one seat and this decision has to be taken within 14 days of being elected as an MP. Tuesday (18 June) was the deadline for Rahul Gandhi to do so.

If Wayanad elects Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, it will be the first time that all three members of the Gandhi family will sit in Parliament. Sonia Gandhi, who did not contest the Lok Sabha elections this time, has moved to the Rajya Sabha. Her son, Rahul, fought from her Rae Bareli seat.

But why has the elder Gandhi sibling vacated Wayanad? What does Priyanka Gandhi’s poll debut mean for the party? Let’s find out.

Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad move

It is not surprising that Rahul Gandhi has relinquished the Wayanad seat to retain Rae Bareli. The move was widely speculated after he won both seats in the 18th Lok Sabha elections.

Gandhi bagged the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 3.6 lakh votes against Communist Party of India’s (CPI) Annie Raja.

He won from the Congress’ stronghold of Rae Bareli with 647,445 votes, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Dinesh Pratap Singh by a margin of over 3.9 lakh votes.

While Wayanad is considered a safe seat for the Congress, the Gandhi family has traditional ties to Rae Bareli. It is one of the two family bastions of the Gandhis in Uttar Pradesh, with the second being Amethi.

As per The Hindu, the Grand Old Party has won Rae Bareli 18 times since the first general elections. It was first represented by Rahul’s grandfather, the late Feroze Gandhi. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had also represented the seat thrice.

However, it is not only the family legacy that may have played a part in Rahul Gandhi’s decision to keep Rae Bareli. The Congress’ improved performance in Uttar Pradesh, which sends the most – 80 – MPs to Lok Sabha, also seems to have been a factor.

Rahul Gandhi will vacate the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. PTI File Photo

The Grand Old Party won six seats in Uttar Pradesh in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls. Its INDIA ally in UP, Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party (SP), won 37 seats. While the Opposition alliance’s tally touched 43, the BJP was reduced to 33 seats from 62 in 2019.

In 2019, the Congress had managed to secure only one seat in the state – Rae Bareli won by Sonia Gandhi. Even Amethi was lost as BJP’s Smriti Irani trounced Rahul Gandhi last time to clinch the Congress bastion.

This time, the Congress has also increased its vote share in UP from 6.36 per cent in 2019 to 9.46 per cent despite contesting on just 17 seats.

As Congress is on a path of revival, the party appears to want to latch on to that growth, especially in Uttar Pradesh. Party insiders told NDTV that the Congress is keen on initiating a strong attack on the Yogi Adityanath government in the 2027 Assembly polls.

The Lok Sabha poll results show the mood is against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, a state that has seen the dominance of the saffron party since 2014.

There is also a message behind Rahul Gandhi ’s decision to retain Rae Bareli. According to an Indian Express report, the Congress is trying to convey that Rahul is not “abandoning the seat and state that gave him and the party a good result in the elections”.

The Grand Old Party got 99 seats in these Lok Sabha elections, its best performance since 2014. If the party wants to continue to expand its footprint, the Hindi heartland is crucial to achieving that goal.

“The Congress is fancying its chances in the Hindi heartland and that is why Rahul Gandhi, the first among equals, is being propped up from Uttar Pradesh,” political analyst Rasheed Kidwai told India Today TV.

With the Congress’ alliance with the SP bearing fruits for both, “Rahul keeping hold of Rae Bareli makes strategic sense,” the Indian Express piece noted. Gandhi’s move will only strengthen the tie-up between the two parties for the 2027 UP Assembly election.

Priyanka Gandhi’s electoral debut

There were speculations that Priyanka Gandhi will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Amethi. But that did not happen as the Congress believed it would give the BJP more ammunition to target the Grand Old Party over dynastic politics.

Chatter about the younger Gandhi sibling’s electoral debut has been rife since 2019. She is finally taking the plunge by contesting the Lok Sabha bypoll from Kerala.

The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, which was carved out in 2008 after a delimitation exercise, is considered a safe seat for the Congress. The party has been victorious in the seat since 2009.

Vadra may have chosen not to contest if the BJP would have again returned with a 300-plus mandate, party leaders told Indian Express. But it is believed that the saffron party is on the “back foot” and it is a good time for Priyanka to make her electoral debut now.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will make her electoral debut from Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. PTI File Photo

With this move, the  Congress has ensured there is a Gandhi family representative in the North as well as South.

Speaking to India Today, political analyst Manisha Priyam said the Congress’ decision reflects the importance of Kerala for the party leadership in its South strategy. “I don’t think it’s a dropping of Wayanad, it’s an adoption of Wayanad,” she said.

“Wayanad remains very important for the Gandhi family. They don’t have a direct representation in Tamil Nadu. In Karnataka, there is DK Shivakumar (deputy chief minister). A direct entry of Priyanka will mean that the leadership is trying to say that Congress is directly putting its hands into the election cauldron in Kerala at a time when BJP’s vote percentage is also increasing,” Priyam added.

By fielding Priyanka to replace Rahul, the Gandhi family has also deflected criticism that it has relinquished the South despite earning electoral dividends.

Rahul Gandhi has vowed to visit Wayanad and fulfill his promises to the people. “I am confident she (Priyanka) will win the election and she will be a very good representative. The people of Wayanad can think about it like this: They now have two MPs, one is my sister and the other is me. My doors are always open to you for the rest of my life and I love every person in Wayanad,” he said on Monday.

The Congress also wants to utilise Priyanka’s abilities as a campaigner, who is a good orator and a crowd-puller. It is expected it will be smooth sailing for her in the Wayanad bypoll.

“I am very happy to be able to represent Wayanad, and all I will say is that I won’t let them feel his (Rahul’s) absence. As he said, he will come frequently, but I will work just as hard and will try to make everyone happy and be a good representative,” Vadra said.

With Priyanka in the Lok Sabha, the Congress will have an added advantage in the form of an articulate speaker.

“It is a political message strong and sharp. The Congress wants to make the best use of the period till the 2029 election. It is when Narendra Modi is vulnerable, it is a coalition government at the Centre. It is an effort to charge the Opposition with both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi on the Opposition benches,” Kidwai told India Today TV.

With inputs from agencies