BJP's Navya Haridas, Who Lost To Priyanka Gandhi In Wayanad Bypoll, Knocks HC Doors Challenging MP's Victory

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

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra won her first electoral victory in the Wayanad seat after her brother and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi vacated it, opting to retain his family bastion of Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. She defeated her Congress rival by over five lakh votes in the November 13 bypoll.

In her petition, Haridas has alleged that the Congress MP did not correctly disclose her and her family's assets in the nomination papers and provided "false information". She claims this is in violation of the Model Code of Conduct and constitutes corrupt practices.

"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 Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her family," Haridas told news agency ANI today.

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

Advocate Hari Kumar G Nair, who filed the petition for Haridas, said it seeks to set aside Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's election for allegedly "suppressing vital information about the various assets owned by her and her family" and "misleading, 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 Response to Navya Haridas' Petition

Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari condemned Haridas' petition, calling it an act of "cheap publicity". He expressed confidence that the petition would be rejected and a fine would be imposed on her.

His party colleague Manickam Tagore stated that while BJP has the right to file a petition, he was certain 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 news agency ANI.

Details from Priyanka Gandhi's Wayanad Nomination Papers

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

In the affidavit filed with her nomination papers in October, she stated she had movable assets of over ₹4.24 crore, which included deposits 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 ₹1.15 crore.

Her immovable assets were valued at over ₹7.74 crore, including two inherited half-shares of agricultural land in the Mehrauli area of Delhi and a half-share in a farmhouse there, which together are now worth over ₹2.10 crore.

Additionally, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has a self-acquired residential property in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, valued at over ₹5.63 crore.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who holds 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, also listed liabilities of ₹15.75 lakh.

In her affidavit, she provided details of her husband's movable and immovable assets. Robert Vadra's movable assets were valued at over ₹37.9 crore, and his immovable assets were worth over ₹27.64 crore.

With Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's entry into the Lok Sabha, the three Gandhis, including Rahul Gandhi and their mother Sonia Gandhi, are now all Members of Parliament. Sonia Gandhi currently serves as a Rajya Sabha MP.