Priyanka's epic Wayanad win propelled by 3 Malappuram segments

Malappuram: Priyanka Gandhi, who made her electoral debut as Rahul Gandhi’s successor, emerged as Wayanad’s favourite, securing overwhelming support from the Malappuram constituencies. Across the seven assembly segments in Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts, Priyanka secured a majority of 4,10,931 votes, with half of that coming from Malappuram’s three assembly constituencies. Remarkably, Malappuram sent Priyanka to the Lok Sabha with a larger majority than what Rahul Gandhi had achieved in both the 2019 and 2024 general elections.

In Wandoor, Nilambur and Eranad constituencies combined, Priyanka received a majority of 2,02,612 votes:

• Wandoor: 73,276
• Nilambur: 65,132
• Eranad: 64,204

Wandoor led with the highest majority among the seven segments. In both the 2019 and 2024 general elections, Wandoor had given Rahul Gandhi his largest majority (69,555 and 68,684 votes, respectively). Despite lower polling percentages, MLA A P Anil Kumar's Wandoor constituency added 4,592 more votes to Priyanka’s majority this time. Nilambur and Eranad retained their positions as the second and third highest majority providers.
Eranad's remarkable surge

In 2019, during Rahul Gandhi’s first contest in Wayanad, his majority across Malappuram’s three constituencies stood at 1,87,742 votes, with Eranad naturally having the lowest due to its smaller voter base (56,527). By 2024, even when Rahul’s overall majority dropped to 1,82,790 votes, Eranad saw an increase to 57,743. This time, under MLA P K Basheer, the constituency recorded a major rise, pushing the majority to 64,204 votes.

Anvar's support acted a boost

The move by Nilambur MLA P V Anvar, who shifted allegiance from the Left to support Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad, also seemed to benefit the UDF. The coalition gained an additional 8,769 votes here compared to the 2024 general elections. For instance, in Nilambur, where Rahul Gandhi had secured a majority of 56,363 votes, Priyanka’s majority increased to 65,132 votes.

UDF majority in Malappuram district