Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, sister of India's Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, is set to contest her first election in Kerela, contesting the Wayanad seat. As a descendant of the Nehru-Gandhi family, her electoral debut is closely monitored, as her victory would bring all three Gandhi family members to the Indian parliament.
Priyanka, daughter of Sonia Gandhi entered politics in 2019 as the Congress campaign manager in eastern Uttar Pradesh, marking a significant moment for the Congress party and preserving the Gandhi family's connection to the constituency. Sonia Gandhi is an MP in the Rajya Sabha, and Rahul Gandhi recently won the parliamentary elections from both Wayanad and Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli seats. Mr Gandhi, who has represented Wayanad since 2019, is resigning from his position due to limited parliamentary representation.
Ms Gandhi is a popular figure in Indian politics. She has been criticized for her brother's lackluster leadership and Congress defeats between 2014 and 2019. She has been involved in her mother's and brother's election campaigns since the late 1990s. Despite the Congress's poor performance in the general elections and state assembly polls, senior party leaders have praised Priyanka's leadership. She has been instrumental in stabilizing the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, where opposition parties performed well.
