The political aftershocks of Wayanad’s bypoll are still rumbling—this time inside the courtroom.
The Kerala High Court has issued a formal summons to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, taking the first legal step in a challenge to her thumping victory in the November 2024 Lok Sabha by-election. The petitioner? BJP’s Navya Haridas, who was also a candidate in that contest—and who is now calling foul.
Justice K Babu, after a preliminary hearing, found enough in Haridas’s claims to admit the petition and move things forward. The case is now slated for hearing this August.
Haridas, who finished third in the race—trailing behind CPI’s Sathyan Mokeri and Gandhi’s commanding lead of over 5 lakh votes—alleges that the win wasn’t all clean campaigning and voter affection. According to her, Gandhi failed to disclose key details in her nomination papers—specifically, a slate of immovable properties and investments reportedly held by her and husband Robert Vadra. These omissions, Haridas argues, weren’t just clerical oversights, but calculated concealments that violated the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The BJP leader goes further, accusing Gandhi of misleading the electorate and influencing the outcome through corrupt practices, invoking Section 123 of the same Act. Her petition asks the court to invalidate the Wayanad result, branding the victory as legally compromised.
While Gandhi’s side is yet to formally respond in court, the upcoming August hearing promises a political and legal drama with national echoes.
