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Navya, whose name was announced last week by the BJP for the seat, has no criminal charges against her. She is corporation councilor while her husband, Shobin Shyam, is a Mechanical Engineer who works abroad.
Both Priyanka Gandhi and Navya Haridas are graduates and are contesting the Lok Sabha elections for the first time, although Navya has the experience of contesting local body and assembly polls in the state.
All eyes are on the Wayanad Lok Sabha Seat that will see one of the most interesting battles in the bypolls scheduled for the next month. Against Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi is Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Navya Haridas. Both these women are graduates and are contesting the Lok Sabha elections for the first time, although Navya has the experience of contesting local body and assembly polls in the state. The two women don’t just have totally different political ideologies but also have different stories as well.
Navya is a two-time (2015 and 2020) councilor in the Kozhikode Corporation in Kerala. She also contested the Kozhikode South Assembly constituency in the 2021 Assembly election, where she finished third. This time, she is trying her luck for the Lok Sabha for the first time.
On the other hand, Priyanka will be trying her luck in the electoral battle for the first time although she has worked with her mother, Sonia Gandhi, and brother, Rahul Gandhi, in their poll campaigns for a long time. But this is the first time she is out there for herself.
Priyanka’s official entry into politics was weeks before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when she was appointed as party General Secretary in charge of the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh in January 2019. She was promoted to General Secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh the next year. In 2023, she resigned from the post.
The fortune of the Congress did not change under her leadership. The party failed in 2019 Lok Sabha polls and was reduced to just one seat, Raebareli – won by Sonia – down from two in 2014. Even in the 2022 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the party’s seats came down to just two from seven in 2017.
Wayanad Battle
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Wayanad was bagged by Rahul Gandhi, who left the seat as he was also elected from Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. The elections were announced earlier this month but Priyanka’s candidature was announced in June by the Congress with the announcement of Rahul quitting the seat.
Priyanka filed her nomination on Wednesday while Navya filed her papers on Thursday.
As per the Congress leader’s affidavit, she has declared assets worth over Rs 12 crore – Rs 4.24 crore worth of movable assets and immovable assets worth over Rs 7.74 crore. Her total income was more than Rs 46.39 lakh in 2023-2024. Her source of income, as per the documents, are rents, interest from banks and other investments.
Priyanka is facing two FIRs – filed against her in 2020 and 2023. The first case against her was in 2020 in Uttar Pradesh for her alleged protest against the Hathras rape case – where a 19-year-old was gangraped and died while undergoing treatment.
She is facing charges under IPC Sections 188, 269 and 270 including disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant, negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life and malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life. She held the protest while restrictions were imposed due to the spread of coronavirus infection.
The second case is related to her post on social media. One Nimesh Pathak has filed a case against her for posting some misleading posts under sections of cheating and forgery – IPC sections 420 and 469.
The charges have not been framed and she has also not been convicted in any of these.
She is also facing a forest department’s notice against her for meeting two traditional snake catchers. In addition, she is also facing Income Tax reassessment proceedings for the assessment year 2012-13. The appeal is pending before the Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals), her papers read.
Priyanka is the General Secretary of the Congress, Robert is a businessman, as per the affidavit.
Navya, whose name was announced last week by the BJP for the seat, has no criminal charges against her. She is corporation councilor while her husband, Shobin Shyam, is a Mechanical Engineer who works abroad.
Navya has assets worth over Rs 45 lakh, including moveable assets of Rs 40.13 lakh. Shobin owns wealth over Rs one crore, including Rs 64.95 lakh of movable assets and Rs 40 lakh of immovable assets. Both the partners have not filed the income tax returns as it is ‘not applicable’, as per her affidavit. Her source of income is the corporation honorarium while Shobin’s is his job.
The 39-year-old BJP candidate has a B.Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering from KMCT Engineering College in Kozhikode gained in 2007.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, out of the 20 seats in Kerala, Congress won 14 while BJP won just one. This marked the entry of the BJP in the state.
Seat’s History
The Wayanad Lok Sabha Constituency came into existence in 2008 and witnessed its first election in 2009.
The seat has elected only Congress party in the last four Lok Sabha polls. M. I. Shanavas was the first MP from the seat elected in 2009 and 2014. The leader died in 2018. Rahul was elected in 2019 and 2024.
Among Priyanka and Navya, whoever wins the contest will be the first woman to be elected from the seat, which will go for poll on November 13 and the counting of votes will take place on November 23.
