Chandigarh : Congress MP Kumari Selja on Tuesday welcomed Priyanka Gandhi's decision to enter full-time electoral politics, expressing her happiness that Gandhi will contest the upcoming elections from Wayanad.
Selja criticised the BJP, claiming that they attempt to communalize issues where they face electoral challenges. "The BJP always communalizes issues where they are losing. This is an old tactic of the BJP. The country has been waiting for a long time. There has been a nationwide demand for Priyanka to enter full-time politics and contest elections. We are happy that she is going to fight from Wayanad. Today is the nomination day, and I wish her all the best. I am confident she will win there with record votes," she said.
The senior Congress leader added, "The Minister said that machines should not overpower humanity. The Election Commission must pay attention to this. The issue of EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) has been raised repeatedly, and it is their responsibility to ensure that there should be no doubt anywhere in the country. Everything must be completely fair."
Earlier, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met party chief Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi on Monday to discuss campaign strategies as she prepares to file her nomination for the by-elections in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. Vadra, along with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, will lead a roadshow from Wayanad's Kalpetta New Bus Stand in the morning before filing the nomination on October 23.
After the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the bypoll, Congress declared Gandhi's candidature for the Wayanad seat as part of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala. Senior Congress leaders will also be present during Gandhi's nomination filing before the district collector in the afternoon.
After being active in politics for five years, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Gandhi will make her electoral debut in the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, where the bypoll is scheduled to be held on November 13. The election commission also announced by-elections in 47 assembly seats across 15 states.
If Priyanka Gandhi wins from Wayanad, she will be the third person from the Gandhi family to enter Parliament. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi retained the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh and vacated the Wayanad seat, paving the way for his sister to make her electoral debut.
Gandhi is contesting against Navya Haridas, a candidate fielded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Left Democratic Front's (LDF) candidate Sathyan Mokeri. Haridas is a two-time Kozhikode Corporation councillor. Rahul Gandhi had said both Rae Bareli and Wayanad would get two MPs and had also expressed confidence in Priyanka Gandhi winning from Wayanad.
Priyanka Gandhi was responsible for taking care of the Gandhi family's stronghold in Amethi and Rae Bareli before entering active politics, where she emerged as an important strategist for her party. Meanwhile, Congress appointed Saral Patel as the media coordinator for Wayanad ahead of the by-election with immediate effect.