Parliament 'families': Sonia-Rahul-Priyanka, other MP-relatives in LS, RS

With Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra winning the Wayanad Lok Sabha bypoll by a historic margin of over 5 lakh votes, she will join her brother and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lower House and will be among the few relatives who will be together as Members of Parliament.

After Rahul won two Lok Sabha seats – Rae Bareli and Wayanad in June this year, he decided to retain the constituency in Uttar Pradesh. His sister Priyanka contested in Kerala and on Saturday (November 23) defeated Sathyan Mokeri of the Communist Party of India by 5.64 lakh votes.

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Congress leader Sachin Pilot Rahul and Priyanka joining forces “will certainly give sleepless nights to the BJP and the NDA”.

“Rahul Gandhi as Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha has taken on the government, forcing them to be more accountable, and Priyanka ji joining the ranks will be tough days for the NDA. One plus one will become 11 in the Lok Sabha. Her joining forces with Rahul ji in Parliament will certainly give sleepless nights to the BJP and the NDA,” Pilot told PTI news agency.

In Indian politics, it is not new for members of the same family to win elections, be it in State Assemblies or in Lok Sabha. Priyanka joining Rahul is the latest pair in that list.

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Here are some of the relatives/family members serving as MPs in Parliament now

Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav, Aditya Yadav (Lok Sabha)

Samajwadi Party’s (SP) Akhilesh and Dimple are the only husband-wife pair in the current Lok Sabha. Both represent Uttar Pradesh in Parliament. SP chief Akhilesh, a former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, won from Kannauj and his wife Dimple emerged victorious from Mainpuri. Akhilesh’s cousins Dharmendra Yadav (Azamgarh), Aditya Yadav (Badaun), and Akshay Yadav (Firozabad) are also SP Lok Sabha MPs.

Sonia Gandhi (Rajya Sabha), Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi (Lok Sabha)

Congress’s brother-sister duo Rahul and Priyanka will be in the Lok Sabha together for the first time. This year, Priyanka made her electoral debut in Wayanad bypoll. Rahul represents Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli constituency. Now three members of the Gandhi family are in Parliament with Rahul and Priyanka’s mother Sonia Gandhi being a Rajya Sabha member.

P Chidambaram (Rajya Sabha) and Karti Chidambaram (Lok Sabha)

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P Chidambaram is a member of the Upper House of the Parliament. His son Karti Chidambaram represents Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga in the Lok Sabha.

Kanimozhi and Dayanidhi Maran (Lok Sabha)

DMK’s Kanimozhi, daughter of late former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, is a Lok Sabha MP from Thoothukudi. Karunanidhi’s grandnephew Dayanidhi Maran (DMK) is also a Lok Sabha MP, from Chennai Central seat.