Wayanad: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi, the UDF candidate in the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll, expressed hope on Wednesday that the people of the constituency would give her the opportunity to represent them and repay the affection they have shown her.

Priyanka made the statement during her visit to polling booths in Wayanad, where voting is currently underway for the Lok Sabha by-election. "My expectation is that the people of Wayanad will give me the chance to repay the love and affection they have shown me and to work for them and be their representative," she told reporters.

When asked about the Waqf law issue, which has created a political storm in Kerala, and the lack of central assistance for landslide-affected residents of Wayanad, Priyanka said, "I do not think today is the day to speak about these controversies. Today is the day of polling. I hope everyone exercises their democratic right and comes out to vote."

On being asked whether she will surpass the victory margin of her brother, Rahul Gandhi, when he won from Wayanad in the general elections earlier this year, Priyanka replied, "That is yet to be seen."

Rahul won the constituency in the 2024 general elections with a victory margin of over 3.5 lakh votes, and in 2019, he achieved a margin of over 4.3 lakh votes. He vacated the Wayanad seat after also winning the Raebareli constituency in the 2024 general election, necessitating a bypoll in Wayanad.

Polling for the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat saw a brisk voter turnout of 20.54% within the first three hours on Wednesday. The election process, conducted under tight security, remained largely incident-free, apart from electronic voting machine (EVM) breakdowns reported in some booths, which election officials promptly resolved.

Voter elated about kissing Priyanka Gandhi
Hashira Salif, who arrived to cast her vote at St. Joseph's School, described her experience as the "lottery" of a lifetime. Not only did she get to cast her vote, but she also had the chance to meet and embrace Priyanka Gandhi.

Hashira arrived around 9 am, coinciding with Priyanka’s surprise visit to the same booth. Only a few people and media personnel were present at the location. Pushing through reporters and police officers, Hashira managed to reach Priyanka and hold her hand.

Expressing her wish for a kiss, Priyanka graciously agreed, allowing Hashira to kiss her three times—an experience she had never dreamed possible. Hashira reminisced that during Priyanka’s previous campaign visit, she had only seen her from a distance and never imagined she would ever have such a close interaction. Hashira is married to Safin Vettikkadan from Kalpetta, who had also come to vote. The couple have two children, Nafeesa Noulin and Ayash.