Congress General Secretary and newly elected Wayanad MP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Saturday extended heartfelt thanks to the people of Wayanad for electing her to the Lok Sabha. She pledged to work tirelessly for the constituency and uphold their trust.
“First and foremost, I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for bringing me here today and making me your Member of Parliament. I’d also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you for what you’ve given me. The true value lies in your love and trust. As your representative in Parliament, I will amplify your voice, work tirelessly to resolve your problems, and uphold your beliefs, values, hopes, and aspirations every single day, now and forever,” Priyanka said during her address in Wayanad.
She also acknowledged the contributions of her brother, Rahul Gandhi, who previously represented Wayanad in Parliament.
“I want to thank my brother for all the work he did here in the last five years. It is because of your faith in him that you have put your trust in me. I want to thank all the leaders… I thank each and every one of you for the love you have given me,” she added.
Priyanka emphasized her intention to learn from the people of Wayanad and work collaboratively to address local issues.
“I am here to learn from you. I am here to understand your problems in depth. Of course, I know about the night ban, man-animal conflict, the need for health services, the need for better educational institutions. But I am now here to fight for all of this, to work with you and to understand them properly. I will come to your house, I will meet you, the doors of my office are open… I will not disappoint you.”
Reflecting on her long political journey, Priyanka shared that although she had been campaigning for 35 years, this marked her first experience as a candidate.
“It has been 35 years since I have been campaigning for elections, and this is the first time I contested elections. In these years, I have met millions of people in these campaigns… I want to say that I remember each one of you who has waited for me in Wayanad. I remember every mother, children… I remember each one of your hugs, kisses, flowers.”
Priyanka took her oath as a Member of Parliament on November 28, wearing a traditional Kerala Kasavu saree and holding a copy of the Constitution. She won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat with a margin of 4,10,931 votes, defeating Sathyan Mokeri of the Communist Party of India (CPI).
This victory marks her entry into the Parliament, taking over the seat vacated by Rahul Gandhi, who shifted to Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh after winning there in this year’s general elections.