Wayanad by-election: Priyanka will win by record margin, says Congress

The Congress in Kerala on Wednesday exuded confidence that party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would win the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat, vacated by Rahul Gandhi, with a record margin.

Addressing reporters here, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said his party was confident of victory in the high range constituency.

He said the party leadership and the workers had commenced preparations for the election, but devastating landslides struck Wayanad district.

The Lok Sabha MP said the party usually does not conduct any programmes in such areas. There is no doubt that the workers of the Congress party and the United Democratic Front (UDF) would actively take part in various programmes when the election was announced.

"As we said before, Priyanka Gandhi will win the constituency with a record margin," Venugopal said. As per law, the by-poll should be conducted within six months and the period would end this November. "So, we are ready for the election," he said.

To a query, the Congress leader said Priyanka Gandhi may have to visit other states for canvassing while participating in the election campaigning in the constituency. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had announced in June that Rahul Gandhi would keep the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and vacate the Wayanad seat from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would contest. Rahul had won both from Wayanad and Rae Bareli constituencies and he had to vacate one of the seats within 14 days of the Lok Sabha results, which came out on June 4.