Priyanka Gandhi to resume bypoll campaign in Wayanad from Nov 3; Rahul Gandhi to accompany her

Wayanad, Kerala: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will resume her campaign for the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll from November 3 by holding public and corner meetings in the hill constituency with her brother, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, the party said on Friday.

The Congress general secretary, who is making her electoral debut, will be in Kerala till November 7, according to her itinerary released by the party.

Priyanka will hold a joint public meeting with her brother Rahul on November 3, 11 AM, at Gandhi Park in Mananthavady here and thereafter, she will conduct corner meetings separately at three other places on the same day.

In addition to the joint public meeting, Rahul will hold a public meeting separately at Areekode here, according to the campaign itinerary released by the party.

On November 4, Priyanka will hold corner meetings in five places in Kalpetta and Sultan Bathery assembly constituencies, the party said.

The party further said that the itinerary of her campaign on November 5, 6 and 7 will be released later.

Priyanka's resumption of her bypoll campaign comes amidst criticism from her rival candidates that she will come and go from the constituency like a guest or a seasonal festival.

LDF candidate Sathyan Mokeri had claimed that Priyanka, like her brother Rahul, would come to Wayand and go as a guest, and wouldn't be present in the constituency.

BJP's Navya Haridas had last week said that Priyanka's arrival and roadshow were like a seasonal festival which only comes once every year.

The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency consists of seven Assembly segments -- Mananthavady (ST), Sulthan Bathery (ST) and Kalpetta in Wayanad district, Thiruvambady in Kozhikode district and Eranad, Nilambur, and Wandoor in Malappuram district.

Of these, Wandoor, Kalpetta and Sulthan Bathery are represented by the Congress and the Eranad seat is held by P K Basheer of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), an ally of the Congress-led UDF.

Independent Nilambur MLA P V Anwar, who recently parted ways with the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, has already expressed support for Priyanka.

The by-election for Wayanad LS seat became necessary after Rahul Gandhi, who won the Lok Sabha polls from there and Rae Bareli constituency, decided to vacate Wayanad.

Voting in Wayanad will be held on November 13.