Who Is Navya Haridas, The Software Engineer Challenging Priyanka Gandhi In Wayanad ByPoll?
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A software engineer by profession, Kerala BJP leader Navya Haridas serves as the parliamentary party leader in the corporation and is also the state general secretary of the Mahila Morcha
Navya Haridas, the BJP candidate from Wayanad in Kerala. (Image via X/@MrsGandhi)
Navya Haridas, a two-time councillor in the Kozhikode Corporation, is the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance’s candidate to challenge Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the highly anticipated Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll.
In addition to Gandhi, Haridas will face eminent CPI leader and former MLA Sathyan Mokeri, who is contesting on the CPIM-led ruling LDF ticket, in this high-profile constituency for the by-election on 13 November.
The bypoll for the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency was necessitated after Rahul Gandhi, who won the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from there and Rae Bareli, decided to vacate the Wayanad seat.
Who Is Navya Haridas?
A software engineer by profession, Kerala BJP leader Navya Haridas serves as the parliamentary party leader in the corporation and is also the state general secretary of the Mahila Morcha.
In the three-way electoral contest in Wayanad, BJP’s Haridas is relying on her political experience to take on Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the by-election, which marks Vadra’s first electoral challenge.
With international experience as a software engineer in Singapore and the Netherlands, as well as a decade of service as a councillor in Kozhikode, Haridas is confident that her background equips her to challenge Vadra, who aims to extend the Congress’s winning streak in this hilly Lok Sabha segment vacated by her brother.
Entered Politics By Accident
Haridas, an engineering graduate, entered politics almost by accident. After earning her B.Tech degree, she worked as a software professional.
In 2009, she married marine engineer Shobin Shyam and moved to Singapore, where she worked for four years. She also gained experience in the Netherlands and Azerbaijan.
During a vacation to Kozhikode in 2015, she was unexpectedly nominated as a candidate in Kerala’s local body elections, thanks to her family’s RSS connection.
“Politics was never on my mind, and my entry into it was purely accidental. The BJP approached me with a ticket, considering my family’s political background. I was fielded from Karaparamba, a ward where the BJP traditionally finishes third in Kozhikode Corporation. However, I won and have been representing the ward for the past 10 years,” she had told news agency PTI in an interview.
Views On Congress
As a techie-turned-politician, Haridas has criticised the Congress party for favouring members of the Gandhi family for seats.
Regarding Priyanka’s candidacy for the Wayanad Lok Sabha polls, Haridas stated that the Gandhi family sees the hill constituency as a mere “choice” or “second seat,” a view that the people of the area have now recognised.
Haridas remarked that the voters of Wayanad want a leader who stands up for them and addresses their problems. She pointed out that, while Priyanka may not be a new face nationally, she is a newcomer in Wayanad.
“Priyanka is coming as a representative of the Gandhi family who had failed to raise the issues of Wayanad in the Parliament,” she told the media.
Haridas added that the people of Wayanad had given a mandate to Rahul Gandhi with the expectation that he would serve them for the next five years. However, when given the chance to retain Rae Bareli, he abandoned the Wayanad constituency.
As a result, Haridas believes that the people of Wayanad now see the constituency as just a “second seat” or “choice” for the Gandhi family.
(With inputs from agencies)
