Rahul Gandhi to vacate Wayanad seat, Priyanka unlikely to contest

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is expected to vacate the Wayanad seat after securing victories in both Wayanad and Raebareli constituencies in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024. The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) has recommended that Gandhi retain his Raebareli MP status, citing his crucial role in the party's development efforts in Uttar Pradesh.

While the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) initially advocated for Gandhi to remain in Wayanad, they did not press the matter further after the UPCC's recommendation. The discussions took place at the Congress Working Committee meeting held on Saturday. An official announcement regarding this decision is anticipated after a visit by the leader to the respective constituencies.

Additionally, the demand for Priyanka Gandhi to contest from Wayanad as a Congress candidate was dismissed by the Gandhi family, Manorama News reported. Instead, a senior Congress leader from Kerala is being considered as the party's candidate for the Wayanad constituency.

Despite winning Wayanad by a significant margin of 3,64,422 votes, Gandhi's majority decreased by 67,348 votes compared to 2019. In Wayanad, he surpassed Communist Party of India's (CPI) Annie Raja by a substantial margin, while in Raebareli, he secured victory over the BJP's Dinesh Pratap Singh by an impressive margin of 3,89,341 votes.

Any candidate who wins from two seats will have to forego one within 14 days of the election results. If a member fails to resign from one of the two seats, he faces the danger of losing both seats. The Representation of the People Act, 1951, allows a person to contest a general election or by-elections or biennial elections from a maximum of two constituencies but the candidate can retain only one. Before a 1996 amendment in the electoral laws, there was no bar on the number of seats a person could contest.