Robert Vadra, on Tuesday (June 18) hailed his wife's, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's, decision to contest from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, which fell vacant after Rahul Gandhi's announced to relinquish the seat.
Speaking to the media, hours after the Congress announcement, which elaborated on Rahul Gandhi's decision to vacate the Wayanad seat while retaining Rae Bareli, and Priyanka Gandhi contesting from Wayanad, Robert Vadra said he is hopeful for his wife's victory.
He said, "First, I would thank the people of India for teaching a lesson to the BJP. They played religion-based politics. I am happy that Priyanka Gandhi is going to fight from Wayanad. She should be in Parliament, not because she has been campaigning, but because I want her to be in Parliament. She should be in Parliament before me. I can follow whenever it is the right time. I am happy, and I hope people will give her a good mandate."
Moreover, it is pertinent to note that if elected, this would be Priyanka Gandhi's first term as a parliamentarian after serving for two decades in the party, mostly from the background. Significantly, after Sonia Gandhi's resignation from Rae Bareli, it was highly anticipated that Priyanka Gandhi might be the face of Congress in the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections 2024; however, the seat was allotted to Rahul Gandhi, who registered a mammoth victory, in addition to winning from the Wayanad constituency.
However, the Congress leader clarified on June 17 that he is going to retain the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat and relinquish his Lok Sabha seat in Wayanad.
Speaking to the media earlier, Rahul Gandhi said that both Rae Bareli and Wayanad "will get two MPs." "I was the Wayanad MP for the last five years, and the people of Wayanad gave me love, for which I thank them... Priyanka will contest from Wayanad, but I will continue to visit Wayanad and fulfill the promises we made to Wayanad. I have a long relationship with Rae Bareli, and I am very happy that I will be representing her. This was not an easy decision because affection is with both Wayanad and Rae Bareli," he added.
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