In a dramatic turn of events during the filing of nomination papers for the Wayanad by-poll, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Congress of snubbing its President, Mallikarjun Kharge. BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, showing Kharge standing outside a room where Priyanka Gandhi was filing her nomination papers.

Chandrasekhar captioned the post, claiming that Kharge was kept outside the chamber because “he is not family.” He alleged that Kharge “sacrificed” dignity at the altar of “arrogance” of the Gandhi family.

The Congress, however, refuted the BJP’s claims, stating that Kharge stood outside the chamber to abide by the District Magistrate’s instructions. AICC Secretary Pranav Jha tweeted, “We honour the direction and discipline enforced by The District Magistrate. Her rule demanded that not more than 5 people including the candidate be present in the room. By choosing to stand at the door Congress President helped the DM.”

Interestingly, real-time visuals from the time of the nomination filing showed Kharge sitting beside Priyanka inside the DM’s chamber. He was seen seated throughout the process.

The Wayanad by-poll is scheduled for November 13, with results expected on November 23.