Wayanad bypolls forced on people, it was set match: BJP leader Anil Antony

New Delhi [India], November 23 : With trends indicating a lead for Congress candidate Priyanka Gandhi with over four lakh votes as counting progressed in Wayanad Lok Sabha by-polls on Saturday, BJP leader Anil Antony said that Wayanad election was forced on the people by Gandhi family and it was a set match to ensure that she would reach the Parliament.
Anil Antony said, "There are elections happening across the country. There is a historic election in Maharashtra where BJP-NDA is well poised to have the best every victory. There are by elections happening in Assam and Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and everywhere we are doing very well. Wayanad is an election that was forced on the people of Wayanad by Gandhi family."
He said that Priyanka Gandhi's margin is much less than Rahul Gandhi's margin in 2019 and 2024.
"In Kerala CPM and the Congress both of them are part of the same national alliance. It is amusing that Priyanka Gandhi could not find any other constituency in the country. Two years ago she was face of Congress in UP. She could not find any other constituency where she was assured that she could win so she came to Wayanad. Because of demographics she has advantage here. The election was imposed on the people," he added.
He further said that till the last day of Lok Sabha polls 2024 Rahul Gandhi did not tell the people that he was going to fight from another constituency.
"Rahul Gandhi came to Wayanad as he was assured that he would lose from Amethi. He stood in Wayanad but till last day he did not tell that he would fight from Raebareli also. Across nation the Congress party has been rejected and even in Wayanad their popularity is decreasing. What is the use of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra standing in Wayanad in the national perspective where she is fighting against her own alliance? This is set match to ensure that she would reach the Parliament,"he added.
He said that NDA is growing in Kerala. "In 2009 our vote share was 9 percent, in 2014 it was 13 percent. This Lok Sabha polls our vote share became 19 percent. We opened our account. Today in Palakkad bye-elections we are having close contest with Congress and ahead of CPI(M)," he added.
Meanwhile as per trends published by the Election Commmission of India at 2 pm today, Congress candidate Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was leading by over two lakh votes in the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat.
Priyanka Gandhi had obtained 6,12,020 votes and leading by a margin of 4,04,619 votes, as per the ECI. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her electoral debut with this seat.
CPI candidate Sathyan Mokeri is in the second spot and BJP candidate Navya Haridas on third.
By-polls were held in 48 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats across 15 states. Wayanad, a Congress bastion is witnessing a triangular contest between Priyanka Gandhi, BJP's Navya Haridas, and the Left candidate Sathyan Mokeri.
Priyanka Gandhi is contesting from the Wayanad constituency as a United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate, from the seat her brother Rahul Gandhi vacated after he was also elected to Lok Sabha from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh in the general elections held earlier this year.