Sravasti Dasgupta 
New Delhi: While the Congress is looking to retain its hold on Kerala’s Wayanad by fielding party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in her maiden election in the upcoming bypolls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has picked Navya Haridas, a former software engineer who now serves as a councillor in the Kozhikode municipal corporation.
In an interview with The Wire, Haridas who has a decade of experience as a councillor said Gandhi Vadra has nothing to show except for her family.
“She has nothing else to portray apart from her family status. But I have been working as a social worker for many years including as a councillor. But never as a form of family dominance. This is a wrong strategy,” she said.
The Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency was vacated by Gandhi Vadra’s brother, leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi earlier this year. Gandhi contested and won both Wayanad, and the Rae Bareli (Uttar Pradesh) seats. In 2019, Gandhi who had lost the Lok Sabha elections from the family bastion of Amethi, was elected from Wayanad. In 2024, despite winning both seats, his winning margin narrowed in Wayanad.
“Before his (Gandhi’s) posters faded another election has come because of Rahul Gandhi’s betrayal. He promised the people of Wayanad that he will be with them for five years but he broke that promise and retained the seat in Rae Bareli. This is the scenario in which the by-election is being conducted. So the people have started thinking why should they elect them, for them (Gandhis) north India is a higher priority,” said Haridas.
Wayanad is locked in a three corner contest between Haridas, Gandhi Vadra and CPI leader and former MLA, Sathyan Mokeri. While the Congress and the CPI are part of the INDIA alliance on a national level, like at the Lok Sabha elections, the two are contesting against each other in the bypoll as well.
Read excerpts of the interview below.
What was your first reaction when you found out that you will be the candidate for the BJP. Did you know about it before it was announced?
No, I was excited that I have been considered for this election which has nationwide attention. I just had a clue that my name might be included in the list provided by the state leadership to the central leadership. I came to know about it only through the media. I am so excited and thankful to the party that I have been given this wonderful opportunity.
What will be your strategy and focus areas in this election?
When I filed my nomination, BJP’s national and state and district leaders were with me but no one from my family was present. Because the BJP does not believe in family dominance. BJP is putting forward the strategy of development. Wayanad lacks facilities in health, infrastructure, agriculture and in every other sphere. The people have been asking for solutions to their problems. 90% of the people in this constituency are farmers but they lack facilities that are being provided by the central government because the representatives are not taking initiatives to spread awareness or take these schemes to them. This needs a drastic change.
Wayanad is famous for coffee, tea plantations and spices. It is also a tourist destination. But in the name of tourism, Wayanad is being exploited. It is an ecologically sensitive area. There was a warning from the disaster management against constructions in ecologically sensitive areas but despite that permissions were being given and constructions have continued in these sensitive areas. This leads to disasters as we saw recently in the Chooralmala area that took so many lives. This should be given high priority.
So for you this is a fight between a dynastic party and a development oriented party?
Of course. Last time when Rahul Gandhi came to file his nomination he brought his sister along. This time Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came with her husband and son. That means that they are introducing these new family members, aiming to continue this family dominance to ensure it prevails and the BJP is against this family dominance.
This by-election is being pitted as a high pitched battle where the Congress is looking to retain its bastion by introducing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra against a new candidate. How do you see this?
We are 100% sure of winning this election. I don’t see it as a high-profile election for the Congress candidate. Because all she has to boast about is her family-her grandmother, her mother and brother. She has nothing else to portray apart from her family status. But I have been working as a social worker for many years including as a councillor. But never as a form of family dominance..This is a wrong strategy.
Posters have been put up saying “Wayanadinte Priyankari (Wayanad’s beloved Priyanka)” even though she is not from the area. How will you counter that?
Apart from her posters we can also see Rahul Gandhi’s posters. Before his posters faded another election has come because of Rahul Gandhi’s betrayal. He promised the people of Wayanad that he will be with them for five years but he broke that promise and retained the seat in Rae Bareli. This is the scenario in which the by-election is being conducted. So the people have started thinking why should they elect them, for them (Gandhis) north India is a higher priority.
Not just Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, you are also facing a seasoned candidate in the form of the LDF’s Sathyan Mokeri. Both are part of the INDIA alliance nationally but fighting here separately. Is that a daunting task for you?
Not at all. I don’t understand why they have put up two candidates when they belong to the same alliance. So here the real fight is between the BJP and the INDIA alliance.
You have been a councillor but now you are stepping into a national election. How do you see this responsibility?
The responsibilities will change because as a councillor we could concentrate on a small area. But I am fully confident. The BJP-led central government being development oriented, if the problems of Wayanad are being addressed in parliament, we will definitely get funding.
Wayanad is considered as the only aspirational district in the state. The funding that centre provides to aspirational districts is a huge amount and we can use this for developing the infrastructure, providing basic amenities and uplifting the people. I have visited the tribal communities and they lack health, education, and transportation facilities and other infrastructure. Tribal communities will have to be uplifted. If I am elected I can bring drastic change.