BJP Leader Who Lost To Priyanka Gandhi Challenges Election, Congress Reacts

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Navya Haridas has moved the Kerala High Court challenging the election of Congress Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from Kerala's Wayanad Lok Sabha seat in the last month's bypoll.

Ms Gandhi Vadra made her successful maiden electoral debut from the Wayanad seat after her brother and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi vacated the seat, choosing to retain family bastion Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

She defeated her Congress rival by over five lakh votes in the November 13 bypoll.

In her petition, Ms Haridas has claimed that the Congress MP did not correctly disclose her and her family's assets in the nomination papers and provided "false information".

This is against the Model Code of Conduct and amounts to corrupt practices, she lost.

"We filed an election petition yesterday in the High Court against Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. It clearly states that the nomination papers were misleading. Many important things were hidden from the nomination papers like the assets of Ms Gandhi Vadra and her family," she told the news agency ANI today.

"Earlier we had given a complaint to the Election Commission regarding this issue but it was not taken up as how we expected it to be," she said.

#WATCH | Kozhikode, Kerala: BJP leader Navya Haridas says, "We have filed an election petition yesterday in the High Court against Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. It clearly states that the nomination papers were misleading and many important things were hidden from the… pic.twitter.com/RUc5AKcDKp — ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2024

Advocate Hari Kumar G Nair, who filed the petition for Ms Haridas, said the petition seeks setting aside of Ms Gandhi Vadra's election for allegedly "suppressing vital information about the various assets owned by her and her family", and "misguiding, misinforming and keeping the voters in the dark with the intention of influencing their choice".

The matter is likely to come up for a hearing in January next year as the high court will be on vacation from December 23 to January 5.

Congress On Navya Haridas' Petition

Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari attacked Navya Haridas and called her petition an act of "cheap publicity". He said he is confident that the petition will be rejected and a fine will be imposed on her.

His party colleague Manickam Tagore said that even though BJP has the right to file a petition, he is confident that the 'truth is on their side'.

"BJP people have the right to do all these things. They will complain against Rahul Gandhi in Delhi and against Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Wayanad. We all know that the truth is on our side," he told the news agency ANI.

What Priyanka Gandhi Said In Wayanad Nomination Papers

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in her nomination papers, had declared assets worth over Rs 12 crore. The 52-year-old Congress general secretary also declared a total income of over Rs 46.39 lakh in the financial year 2023-2024, which included rental income and interest from banks and other investments.

Giving details of her assets and liabilities in the affidavit filed along with her nomination papers in October, she said she had movable assets of over Rs 4.24 crore that include deposits of varying amounts in three bank accounts, investments in mutual funds, PPF, a Honda CRV car gifted by her husband, Robert Vadra, and over 4,400 grams (gross) of gold worth Rs 1.15 crore.

Her immovable assets are worth over Rs 7.74 crore, which included two inherited half shares of agricultural land in the Mehrauli area of Delhi and a half-share in a farmhouse building located therein, all of which together are now worth over Rs 2.10 crore.

Besides that, Ms Gandhi Vadra said she has a self-acquired residential property in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, which is presently worth over Rs 5.63 crore.

Ms Gandhi Vadra, who has a Post Graduate Diploma in Buddhist Studies through distance learning from the University of Sunderland, UK and a BA Hons degree in Psychology from Delhi University, has liabilities of Rs 15.75 lakh.

In her affidavit, she also gave details of her husband's movable and immovable assets. She said Mr Vadra had movable assets worth over Rs 37.9 crore and immovable assets worth over Rs 27.64 crore.

With Ms Gandhi Vadra's entry in the Lok Sabha, the three Gandhis, including Rahul Gandhi and their mother Sonia Gandhi, are now Members of Parliament. Mrs Gandhi is currently serving as a Rajya Sabha MP.

(With agency inputs)