Kochi, June 12: The Kerala High Court has issued a notice to Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on a petition filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Navya Haridas, challenging the validity of her election to the Lok Sabha from Wayanad.
The petition, admitted by Justice K. Babu, alleges that Gandhi’s nomination papers violated election rules, including the suppression of material facts and false disclosure of assets. Haridas, who lost the November 2024 bypoll, contends that Gandhi failed to fully disclose assets and investments held by her and her spouse, Robert Vadra, in the affidavit submitted to the Returning Officer.
According to the petition, the non-disclosure includes movable and immovable properties as well as financial interests linked to Vadra. Haridas also accused Gandhi of using undue influence on voters and engaging in corrupt practices under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
Gandhi secured a decisive victory in the November 13 by-election, defeating Sathyan Mokeri of the Communist Party of India (CPI) by a margin of 410,931 votes in what was a triangular contest that also included Haridas. The bypoll was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi vacated the Wayanad seat.
The BJP candidate filed the petition in December 2024 seeking annulment of Gandhi’s election, arguing that critical information had been withheld from voters. The case is now posted for hearing in August 2025.
The Congress party has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. “Some people have the habit of doing cheap publicity. One such person is Navya Haridas,” party spokesperson Gaurav Tiwari said in December, defending Gandhi’s landslide victory.
Wayanad remains a Congress stronghold, and Gandhi’s entry into Parliament from the seat marked her formal debut as an elected MP. No response has yet been issued by Priyanka Gandhi or her legal representatives regarding the court notice.
