Wayanad Bypolls 2024: 38.99% Voter Turnout Recorded Till 1 PM

In the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is making her electoral debut against LDF's Satyan Mokeri and Navya Haridas of the BJP.

Wayanad:Polling for the high-profile Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala, where Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is making her electoral debut, began at 7 am. As many as 16 candidates are vying for the support of around 14 lakh voters today. Till 1 pm, the voter turnout was recorded at 38.99 per cent.

Vadra is making this debut from a seat won by her brother Rahul Gandhi. He decided to retain the family stronghold of Raebareli after he won both seats in the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year.

In the by-elections, Vadra is running against Satyan Mokeri of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and Navya Haridas of the BJP. Elections will also be held in the Thrissur district's Chelakkara Assembly seat. Seven of the 33 by-election seats are in Rajasthan, six are in West Bengal, and five are in Assam.

Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took to X and urged Wayanad voters to support his sister and said she will be more than just a representative for them and be their sister, daughter and advocate. "I'm reaching out to my family in Wayanad this election, my sister Priyanka Gandhi is ready to be your voice in Parliament," Gandhi said in a post on X.

An optimistic Vadra, while making her visit to polling booths said that she is hopeful of the people of Wayanad giving her a chance to repay the love and affection they have shown her and to work for them and be their representative.

When the survivors of the landslides that struck the hill district in July of this year saw their neighbours and close friends for the first time since the tragedy, emotional scenes were seen at the polling places set up for them to cast their votes here.

As they reminisced how they all lived together as one large, loving family before the landslides took everything away on July 30, the survivors joyfully gave each other hugs before breaking down into tears.

On Monday, November 12, the last day of by-election campaigning in Wayanad, all three major political fronts were up in arms, organising massive roadshows to win the trust of the voters. Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi showed up in person to garner support for his sister.

To dwindle the grand old party's vote bank, both the LDF and the BJP have been accusing Rahul Gandhi of abandoning the Wayanad constituency after his victory in the Lok Sabha Election from both the hilly constituency and Raebareli.

Polling will end at 5 pm today. Security and election staff have been deployed in significant numbers to ensure a smooth process. The Election Commission Of India has ensured the availability of all basic facilities, including drinking water, toilets, and webcasting at polling booths. Votes for the Wayanad seat will be counted on November 23.

Assembly segments of Mananthavady, Sulthan Bathery, Kalpetta, Thiruvambady, Eranad, Nilambur, and Wandoor are all part of the Wayanad constituency, which has 1,471,742 voters. Among the voters, 2,004 are service voters, while 7,519 people, including differently-abled persons and senior citizens aged above 85, had opted for home voting.

As many as 1,354 polling stations—including 30 auxiliary booths have been set up for the by-elections and 11 polling spots with webcasting capabilities have been given special focus. Two polling booths have been marked under the high-security category.

In addition, three polling booths—two in Chooralmala and one in Meppadi—have been established for survivors of the July 30 Chooralmala landslides. Transportation facilities have also been arranged for these voters.

The 33 by-poll seats include seven in Rajasthan, six in West Bengal and five in Assam. The six assembly seats in West Bengal are Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur, Taldangra, Sitai and Madarihat.

In Assam, polling will be held in Samaguri, Behali, Bongaigaon, Sidli and Dholai seats. Voting will be held for assembly polls in Maharashtra on November 20 and the remaining bypoll seats.