Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency is gearing up for an intense electoral battle on November 13 after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, who won the Lok Sabha polls from there, decided to vacate the seat. Soon after he gave up Wayanad for Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituency, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra announced her candidature from the constituency.
Priyanka Gandhi is pitted against Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Navya Haridas and Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate Sathyan Mokeri. Accompanied by her brother Rahul and mother Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka filed the nomination for her maiden electoral battle earlier this week.
While both Priyanka and Navya are contesting the Lok Sabha elections for the first time, Sathyan had contested the Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad in 2014 but was defeated by MI Shanavas (representing Congress).
Here's a comparison of the political career, net worth and educational backgrounds of the Wayanad contestants:
1. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Priyanka Gandhi declared assets worth over Rs 12 crore, including immovable assets are worth over Rs 7.74 crore and movable assets worth over Rs 4.24 crore. In her nomination paper, she also declared a total income of over Rs 46.39 lakh in the financial year 2023-2024 which includes rental income as well as interest from banks and other investments.
The Congress leader owns a Honda CRV car worth Rs 8 lakh, gifted by her husband Robert Vadra. She also has in her possession gold worth Rs 1.15 crore. As per her affadavit, she has a self-acquired residential property in Shimla, which is presently worth over Rs 5.63 crore.
Priyanka, who has a Post Graduate Diploma in Buddhist Studies through distance learning from University of Sunderland, UK and a BA Hons degree in Psychology from Delhi University, has liabilities of Rs 15.75 lakh.
2. Navya Haridas
A two-time councilor in the Kozhikode Corporation, BJP candidate Navya Haridas declared assets worth over Rs 45 lakh, including movable assets worth over Rs 40.13 lakh. According to her election affidavit, Navya's liabilities stand at Rs 13.5 lakh as loans. She has Rs 5,000 cash in her hand, owns a Maruti Suzuki Celerio worth Rs 8 lakh and over 400 grams (gross) of gold worth Rs 25 lakh.
Navya is a BTech graduate in Electronics and Communication from KMCT Engineering College, Kozhikode under Calicut University. The 36-year-old has not filed her income tax return for the last five financial years, as per her declaration.
3. Sathyan Mokeri
The ruling LDF's candidate Mokeri has declared assets worth close to Rs 50 lakh in the election affidavit. While his movable assets stand close to Rs 5 lakh, his immovable property worth Rs 45 lakh includes an inherited agricultural land in Vadakara. According to the affidavit, Mokeri has a residential building there whose current market value is Rs 30 lakh.
The senior CPI leader has a BA degree in Sociology (Malayalam) from the University of Calicut. He contested the Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad in 2014 but was defeated by then Congress candidate MI Shanavas.
He too, like Navya, has not filed income tax return for the last five financial years.
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