Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said today that she had been campaigning for elections for 35 years, but this was the first time she was asking for support for herself. Her mother, Sonia Gandhi, and brother, Rahul, were on stage.
Before submitting her nomination for the next by-election for the parliamentary seat, she was speaking at a public gathering in Wayanad, Kerala. Rahul Gandhi, who had previously held the Wayanad seat, won it again. However, Mr. Gandhi kept the Uttar Pradesh seat of Rae Bareli and gave up Wayanad, which allowed her sister to enter the electoral arena.
When I was 17 years old, I campaigned for the first time for my father in 1989. It's now 35 years, I have campaigned for my mother, my brother and many of my colleagues in different elections.
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 23, 2024
But this is the first time I'm campaigning for myself. I'm deeply grateful to… pic.twitter.com/6A7JhOPB8C
“I was 17 when I campaigned for my father (former PM Rajiv Gandhi). Then I campaigned for my mother and brother and many of my colleagues. For 35 years I have been campaigning in different elections, but this is the first time I am campaigning in an election and seeking your support for myself. It is a very different feeling,” she said and thanked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for the opportunity to contest the election. “It will be my honour to represent you if you give me a chance.”
Ms Gandhi Vadra said she and Rahul Gandhi visited Mundakkai and Churalmala in Wayanad in the aftermath of the devastating landslides that claimed over 400 lives and displaced thousands.
“I saw the devastation with my own eyes. I saw children who lost their families. I met mothers who lost their children. I met people whose entire life was washed away. I was struck by one thing, each and every person I met was engaged in helping each other. They supported each other with courage, without greed and with compassion. To be part of your community is going to be a great privilege for me,” she said.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, said what Wayanad had done for him cannot be expressed in words. “Wayanad will have an official MP and an unofficial MP in Lok Sabha and they will both raise your issues,” he said.
Addressing the meeting, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge described Ms Gandhi Vadra as a powerful leader and urged the people of Wayanad to put their trust in her.
Wayanad is one of 48 Lok Sabha seats that will vote on November 13. Votes will be counted on November 23, together with the results of the Maharashtra and Jharkhand assembly elections.
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Source: NDTV
