New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has crossed her brother Rahul Gandhi’s winning margin in Kerala’s Wayanad.

She is leading by a margin of over 3.68 lakh votes in the Parliamentary by-election, which was held to fill the vacancy left by Rahul Gandhi when he moved to Raebareli. Rahul had won the seat by a margin of over 3.65 lakh votes in the Lok Sabha elections held this year, down from the 4 lakh-plus margin he had secured in 2019.

Priyanka Gandhi, who is making her electoral debut from Wayanad, has won over 5.4 lakh votes so far. CPI veteran Sathyan Mokeri is trailing with about 1.8 lakh votes while the BJP’s Navya Haridas is in the third spot with about a lakh votes. A total of 16 candidates, including Priyanka, are contesting from Wayanad.

Of the 9.52 lakh votes polled, the Wayanad district Congress leadership estimates close to six lakh votes for her. Its estimates for LDF candidate Sathyan Mokeri and BJP candidate Navya Haridas are close to two lakh and one lakh votes, respectively

Rahul Gandhi was elected from this seat for the first time in 2019, which allowed him to remain a Lok Sabha member despite losing in Amethi. In 2024, he contested from both Wayanad and Raebareli, left vacant by his mother Sonia Gandhi after she moved to Rajya Sabha. Having won both the seats, he decided to keep Raebareli and let his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contest from Wayanad.