Rahul Gandhi files Wayanad nomination with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra by his side

Congress president Rahul Gandhi arrived in Wayanad, Kerala, with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to file his nomination for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat. He was expected to submit his papers at about 11.30 am on Thursday at the district collectorate in Kalpetta.

The visit

Rahul flew to Kalpetta by helicopter, and a roadshow was planned before the filing as a show of strength. Large crowds greeted the siblings, and security was tightened across the district for the visit. He was also due to meet Congress office-bearers and leaders of UDF parties.

As he set out from Kozhikode, Rahul stopped his car to greet party workers who had waited for hours. Among those waiting was three-year-old Zoya, whom he greeted. Her mother told reporters the family had been waiting since 8 am, after failing to meet him the night before. Rahul was later to travel to Nagpur in Maharashtra for a rally.

Why Wayanad

The state Congress unit had asked Rahul to contest Wayanad, which fell vacant after the death of M I Shanavas, the working president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, the previous year. Shanavas won the seat in 2009, when it first came into existence, and again in 2014.

Rahul is also contesting the Congress bastion of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, where he faces Union Minister Smriti Irani.

In Kerala, the Congress is contesting 16 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats. Of the remaining four, two go to the Indian Union Muslim League and one each to the Kerala Congress (Mani) and the RSP.

What happened next

Votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha election were counted on 23 May 2019. The Congress won 52 seats nationally and the BJP 303.

See also: constituencies

Originally published on 4 April 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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