Priyanka Gandhi Dons Kerala's Traditional 'Kasavu' Saree, Takes Oath As Lok Sabha MP From Wayanad

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra marked her electoral debut on Thursday, November 28, as she took the oath of office as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, alongside party colleague Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan.

With Priyanka's victory, all three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family-Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka-are now serving in Parliament for the first time in decades.

Donning Kerala's traditional 'Kasavu' saree, Priyanka was accompanied to Parliament by her mother, while her brother Rahul Gandhi and her husband, Robert Vadra, were also present for the oath-taking ceremony.

Priyanka Gandhi secured the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat with a margin of 410,931 votes in the recently concluded bypolls, held alongside the Maharashtra and Jharkhand Assembly elections of 2024.

The Wayanad seat was vacated by Priyanka's brother, Rahul Gandhi, who had won there in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but chose to retain his family stronghold in Rae Bareli. His decision to resign from Wayanad and retain Rae Bareli prompted the bypoll.

Wayanad, a Congress stronghold, saw a three-way contest between Priyanka Gandhi, BJP candidate Navya Haridas, and CPI leader Sathyan Mokeri.

Priyanka contested the seat as part of the United Democratic Front (UDF).

Congress leader Ravindra Vasantrao Chavan also secured victory in the Nanded Lok Sabha bypoll, winning 586,788 votes. The seat had been left vacant following the death of the incumbent MP, Vasantrao Balwantrao Chavan.

Priyanka Gandhi's victory in Wayanad marks her first foray into electoral politics, and she will now join her brother Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, in the Lok Sabha. Their mother, Sonia Gandhi, remains a Rajya Sabha member representing Rajasthan.

Despite a lower voter turnout, Priyanka Gandhi received 622,338 votes, fewer than Rahul Gandhi's 647,445 votes in the April 2024 elections. However, her margin of 410,931 votes exceeded his lead of 364,422, making her debut victory all the more impactful.