Wayanad (Kerala) [India], October 23 : Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday took a moment to pay tribute to Wayanad landslide victims in Kerala.
In a post on X coming on a day, his sister Priyanka Gandhi filed her nomination for the Wayanad by-poll, Rahul Gandhi remembered the landslide victims and said your families are part of our own.
"Amidst all the love and warmth Wayanad is showing Priyanka and me, we take a moment to pay tribute to the lives we lost during the tragic landslides. You will forever remain in our hearts, and your families are part of our own," Rahul Gandhi said in his tributes.
After filing her nomination, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi who is making her electoral debut told reporters, "They (people) are already giving me a lot of love and I am very grateful for that..."
Reacting to the criticism of the BJP against Priyanka Gandhi following the decision of Rahul Gandhi to vacate the Wayanad seat, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, "They (BJP) are speaking all this because of the despair which happened to them..."
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel who accompanied Priyanka Gandhi during her massive roadshow in Kalpetta termed her nomination filing as a "historic moment."
Priyanka Gandhi filed her nomination papers at the district collector's office at Kalpetta.
Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, Robert Vadra, KC Venugopal and a host of other leaders were also present during the nomination filing.
Prior to her nomination, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka held a massive roadshow in Kalpetta town in Kerala and addressed a public rally where she expressed her gratitude to the people of Wayanad for supporting her brother in his difficult times.
The Wayanad seat was vacated by the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi who retained the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha Constituency.
The by-poll in the Wayanad is scheduled to be held on November 13.
A series of landslides in Wayanad were triggered by torrential rainfall that killed hundreds of people in the state. The landslides had occurred in Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Chooralmala, and Vellarimala villages in Meppadi panchayat, Vythiri taluk in Wayanad district.