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Wayanad, September 18 (IANS): Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, while backing her brother, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's charge of 'vote deletions', said on Thursday that the Election Commission of India was “colluding to weaken” the electoral process, and there was a need to fight for democracy and the country.
“We all need to fight for democracy. We need to fight for the Constitution, we need to fight for our country,” Priyanka Gandhi said in Wayanad.
She alleged that the Election Commission was “colluding to weaken” the electoral process.
Her remarks, seen as a sharp criticism of the Union government and its institutions, echoed the Congress’ wider campaign theme of defending democratic values.
Priyanka Gandhai has been touring her Lok Sabha constituency since September 11, and on Thursday, she was in Nilambur when she spoke to media persons.
Alongside her political messaging, Priyanka Gandhi undertook a trek into the Karulai forests to meet the Cholanaykkar tribal community, one of Kerala’s most marginalised groups.
She listened to their concerns on livelihood, land rights, and access to welfare schemes, assuring that their grievances would be taken up with the relevant authorities.
Party leaders said her outreach reinforced the Congress’s commitment to inclusive development in Wayanad.
Priyanka Gandhi also visited the Nilambur teak depot, interacting with workers and reviewing its operations, before stopping at the Nilambur Railway Station to assess the progress of ongoing development works.
Officials briefed her on infrastructure upgrades aimed at boosting regional connectivity, and she stressed the importance of efficient transport networks for improving local livelihoods and trade.
The visit has energised Congress cadres in Wayanad, where party workers accompanied her to multiple stops.
Local leaders said her engagements struck a balance between addressing constituency-specific issues and projecting her as a strong national voice on democracy and constitutional governance.
By combining appeals for democratic vigilance with direct interaction with forest-dwelling communities and local infrastructure projects, she sought to underline both her national role and her commitment to the everyday concerns of her constituents.
This time, Priyanka Gandhi is likely to be in the constituency for 10 days and visit many places, even as the CPI(M) and the BJP accuse her of not being very frequent in the constituency. When Rahul Gandhi was Wayanad MP from 2019 to 24, the parties accused him of being a ‘Tourist MP’.
