(Bloomberg) -- Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, officially entered Indian politics on Wednesday, to capitalize on the opposition’s momentum following its strong showing in the national elections earlier this year.
Vadra, 52, filed her papers to contest the constituency of Wayanad in the southern Indian state of Kerala, which the main opposition Indian National Congress has held since 2009.
“This is a new journey for me and you are my guides and teachers on this journey,” Vadra told voters at a campaign event in Kerala on Wednesday.
Vadra’s brother, Rahul, won the Wayanad seat and also Raebareli in the key northern state of Uttar Pradesh in the national elections that ended in June. Indian political leaders often contest elections from more than one constituency but can represent only one in parliament.
A win would make Vadra a member of the lower house of the parliament, alongside her brother, who is currently the leader of opposition. Her entry would bolster the rank and file of the Congress party, which nearly doubled its tally of seats in the parliament to 99 from 52 in 2019.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party’s failed to win an outright majority for the first time in a decade in the elections and had to rely on a coalition of parties to govern.
The voting in the Wayanad constituency is scheduled for Nov. 13 and the results will be declared on the Nov. 23. Vadra will face the BJP’S Navya Haridas for the seat.
While Vadra has been a star campaigner for the Congress party over the years, she has refrained from contesting elections. She was appointed as the Congress party’s general secretary in 2019.
Her family has produced three of India’s prime ministers — great-grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, grandmother Indira Gandhi and father Rajiv Gandhi.
At the time of submitting her papers, Vadra was accompanied by her brother, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and her mother Sonia Gandhi.
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