With Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra set to file nomination for Wayanad Lok Sabha bypolls, it is apparent that the Congress is looking at a long term plan to increase its seats in the southern part of the country.
After senior party leader Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat, and retained the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat, it was felt that there was a need to field Priyanka from Wayanad as the grand old party was trying to consolidate itself in the southern states. The move has been planned keeping in mind the proposed expansion of the party in South India where the Congress wants to increase its Lok Sabha tally in future elections.
With Rahul busy in fulfilling duties as Leader of Opposition in the lower house and returning to Uttar Pradesh as Member of Parliament, it was felt that Priyanka can devote more time in south Indian for the party’s growth.
The grand old party wants to expand its footprint to the southern states as it has been facing a dearth of seats in northern and western Indian states.
While the Congress is strong in Karnataka and Telangana, where it is in power, it is also eyeing a win in next Kerala Assembly polls. Elections to the 140 member Kerala Assembly are set to take place in 2026. In Tamil Nadu too the party has a strong alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and hopes to build on it further.
Sources stated the party felt that Telangana (17),
Andhra Pradesh (25), Kerala (20), Tamil Nadu (39) and Karnataka (28) seats can be targeted by increasing the role of Priyanka in the region.
The five states account for 129 seats in the Lok Sabha where the Congress hopes to do well and improve its chances of securing the Centre in 2029.
The grand old party knows that its best chance of stopping Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party may come from sweeping the southern states. Hence, the need for the Nehru-Gandhi family to maintain a constituency in the region as it would also enthuse the local party cadre to fight future polls with a renewed spirit.
The active role of Priyanka was seen by the grand old party as one of the main reasons why it did well in the 2024 polls. The leadership feels that increased involvement of Priyanka in the region could help bolster its improved performance in all future polls and 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Priyanka is set to file her nomination today for the November 13 polls where she is pitted against BJP’s Navya Haridas and Communist Party of India’s Sathyan Mokeri. The counting of votes for the Wayanad Assembly bypolls will take place on November 23.
