The Lok Sabha constituency of Wayanad, where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her election debut, recorded an unexpectedly low voter turnout of 64.72% in Wednesday’s bypolls, the lowest since the constituency’s creation in 2009. The disappointing turnout came as a surprise to many, particularly within the Congress, who had hoped for strong voter enthusiasm following Priyanka Gandhi’s candidacy.
This bypoll was necessitated by Rahul Gandhi’s decision to vacate the Wayanad seat in favor of retaining his Rae Bareli constituency in Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka Gandhi’s entrance into the electoral fray from Wayanad was viewed as a strategic move to energize the Congress base, with the party aiming for a winning margin of five lakh votes. However, the low voter engagement has raised questions about the Congress’s influence in this traditional stronghold.
The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), however, remains optimistic. Party leaders have dismissed concerns that the reduced turnout could affect Priyanka Gandhi’s projected margin. Opposition leader VD Satheesan suggested that the voter turnout was significantly impacted by “a lack of enthusiasm” among voters in Communist Party of India (Marxist)-dominated areas, leading to fewer voters at the booths.
To counter the low turnout and build support, the Congress intensified its ground campaign, with senior leaders, including AICC General Secretaries KC Venugopal and Deepa Dasmuni, joining Priyanka Gandhi in a series of corner meetings across Wayanad. The Congress also deployed local MLAs to mobilize voter turnout and show a strong front against her primary opponents, CPI candidate Sathyan Mokeri and BJP’s Navya Haridas.
Meanwhile, in contrast, the Chelakkara Assembly constituency in Thrissur recorded a significantly higher voter turnout of 72.54%, highlighting the sharp discrepancy in voter enthusiasm between the two regions.