Family keeps company as Priyanka files papers for first poll test

Mother Sonia Gandhi, brother Rahul Gandhi, husband Robert Vadra, and son Raihan Vadra kept Priyanka Gandhi Vadra company when she filed her nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha by-election at around noon on Wednesday at Kalapetta in Kerala's Wayanad district.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other national and State leaders of the party were around too, when Priyanka Gandhi submitted her papers for her maiden electoral battle to the Wayanad Collector who is the returning officer for the by-election.

Before filing the papers, she took out a roadshow in which Rahul Gandhi, former MP of Wayanad and Robert Vadra and several leaders of the Congress and the United Democratic Front participated. Thousands of people from across the district and beyond showed up for the roadshow in the Kalpetta town.

`Campaigned for Rajiv Gandhi'

At a public meeting after the roadshow, Ms Vadra recalled how, at age 17, she canvassed votes for her late father and former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in the 989 election. She said she would consider it a great honour if elected to be chosen to represent the people of Wayanad. She praised the the courage of Wayanad people during the recent landslides.

In his speech, Mr. Gandhi, who was elected twice from the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, said the people of Wayanad would get "two MPs to represent them in the Lok Sabha.  He urged the people to take care of his sister and elect her to Parliament.

Mr. Vadra had arrived first at the Wayanad Collectorate ahead of his wife to submit the nominations to the Collector, D.R. Meghashree. Earlier, the Gandhi family arrived at Sulthan Bathery from Mysuru at around  9 a.m.

LDF’s Sathyan Mokeri and BJP’s Navya Haridas are the main rivals of Priyanka Gandhi in the by-election. For Ms. Vadra, this is her first electoral battle. Both her brother and mother are now members of Parliament (Sonia Gandhi is a Rajya Sabha member).