Priyanka Gandhi, General Secretary of the Indian National Congress, has won the Wayanad by-election in Kerala by a significant margin, defeating her closest rivals. This marks her debut as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha.

Earlier this year, her brother Rahul Gandhi contested and won two constituencies in the general elections—Wayanad in Kerala and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul later vacated the Wayanad seat, leading to the announcement of this by-election.

A total of 16 candidates contested the Wayanad by-election, with the primary contenders being Priyanka Gandhi (Congress), Satyan Mokeri (CPI), and Navya Haridas (BJP).

Priyanka’s victory was widely anticipated, with interest focused on whether she could surpass Rahul’s vote tally or victory margin. By 4 PM on the counting day, Priyanka was leading by over 400,000 votes against her nearest rivals.

In June's general election, Rahul secured 647,000 votes with a winning margin of 364,000. By comparison, Priyanka had received 618,000 votes by 4 PM, maintaining a lead of over 400,000 votes against CPI’s Satyan Mokeri.

After her victory was confirmed, Priyanka expressed her gratitude on social media platform X, stating, "I am overwhelmed by this victory. I will be your voice in Parliament and fight for your hopes and dreams."