When will bypolls be held in landslide-hit Wayanad? Election body answers

Wayanad bypolls: Major landslides struck the hilly area of Wayanad on July 29, destroying some hundreds of homes and cutting off at least four villages from the rest of the region

Wayanad bypolls: The Election Commission on Friday said that the impending bypolls in Kerala’s Wayanad cannot be held right now due to the recent landslides, in which more than 230 people lost their lives.

During a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar, however, assured that the polling will happen on time.

Major landslides struck the hilly area of Wayanad on July 29, destroying some hundreds of homes and cutting off at least four villages from the rest of the region.

The constituency is due for a bypoll after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi resigned from the seat, which he had won during the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in June. Since Indian laws bar an MP from holding two offices simultaneously, he decided to give up on Wayanad while representing Uttar Pradesh’s Raebareli in Lok Sabha.

Rahul-Priyanka’s north-south strategy

Later, the Congress party announced that Rahul’s sister and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would mark her electoral debut from Wayanad during the bypolls. 

With the two constituencies, the Gandhi siblings are hoping to send out a symbolic message to the public that they are present in both north and south.

If Priyanka wins, three members of the Gandhi family will be in the Parliament, including veteran leader Sonia Gandhi, who is now a Rajya Sabha member.

Rahul legacy bid at Raebareli

Rahul’s bid to represent Raebareli was aimed at furthering his family’s legacy since it was represented by his mother and grandparents Indira Gandhi and Feroz Gandhi in the past.

Moreover, the Congress has won the seat in all Lok Sabha elections except 1977, 1996 and 1998, reflecting its enduring popularity in the constituency.

The Lok Sabha elections 2024 proved to be a hit for the Congress, when it made an impressive comeback by winning 99 seats across India as against 52 seats in 2019. The result also helped the party to cement its position as the sole pan-India Opposition party, placing it at the centre of Opposition’s INDIA bloc.