BJP leader Navya Haridas has filed a petition in the Kerala High Court challenging the election of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, The latter won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in the by-election held on November 13, 2024.
Haridas, who ran for the seat but lost by a huge margin of more than half a million votes, claimed the MP misrepresented information in her nomination papers, particularly about assets owned by her and her family.
Priyanka Gandhi’s electoral victory
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made a successful debut in electoral politics by contesting from the Wayanad seat. vacated after choosing to retain his family’s stronghold of Rae Bareli in the general election. Priyanka achieved a landslide victory defeating BJP rival Navya Haridas by more than 500,000 votes.
Allegations of misleading nomination documents
Navya Haridas in her petition claimed that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did not properly disclose details about her and her family’s assets during the nomination process, provides “false information”. Haridas argued that this violation of the Model Code of Conduct amounted to corruption and therefore the election should be cancelled.
“We filed an election petition in the high court yesterday against Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra,” Haridas said in an interview. “The petition clearly mentioned that her nomination papers were misleading. , and withheld important details, especially details about her family assets.”
#watch | Kozhikode, Kerala: BJP leader Navya Haridas said, “We filed a case in the high court yesterday against Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) election petition. pic.twitter.com/RUc5AKcDKp— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2024
Haridas further revealed that her previous complaint to the Electoral Commission regarding the issue was not resolved as expected, prompting her to take the matter to court.
Petition seeks to put election on hold
The petition was filed by advocate Hari Kumar G Nair on behalf of Haridas, calling for the cancellation of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s election. It claims that important information about assets owned by Priyanka and her family was suppressed, thereby misleading voters and unfairly influencing their choices.
The Kerala High Court is expected to hear the case in January after the holidays from December 23 to January 5.
Congress responds to accusations
Congressional leaders were quick to react to the petition, dismissing it as a politically motivated effort to gain publicity. Congress MP Pramod Tiwari slammed the petition, calling it an act of “cheap publicity”. He expressed confidence that the petition would be rejected and Haridas would face a fine for filing it.
Another Congress leader Manikam Tagore defended Priyanka Gandhi and said that while the BJP had the right to file such a petition, the facts were on their side. “The BJP has the right to lodge such complaints, whether it is against Rahul Gandhi in Delhi or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Wayanad,” he said. “But we believe the facts stand On our side.”
Priyanka Gandhi nomination details
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra disclosed assets worth over Rs 12 crore in her nomination papers, including movable assets worth Rs 424 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 774 crore. Her total liabilities are Rs 15.75 lakh.
The Congress leader also gave details of her husband Robert Vadra’s assets, which include movable assets worth over Rs 37.9 crore and immovable assets worth over Rs 2,764 crore.
Priyanka Gandhi’s nomination included details of her residential properties, including a self-purchased property in Shimla worth over Rs 563 crore, as well as agricultural land in Delhi. Declared assets also include valuable gold and a car gifted by her husband.
legal battle
As the legal process unfolds, both sides of politics are firing on all cylinders, with the Bharatiya Janata Party putting forward its case and the Congress expressing confidence that the election results will stand.
The outcome of the petition could have a major impact on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s tenure in Parliament, although the matter is expected to continue into the New Year, with a hearing in January.