Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will not contest from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this election. According to sources, the Congress developed cold feet after other SP-BSP combine refused to play the ball and fielded Shalini Yadav against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi. The Congress named Ajay Rai as its candidate.
According to BJP Varanasi MLA Saurabh Srivastava, the Congress had admitted defeat even before the election. “If Priyanka had contested, it would have been a major embarrassment for the party. Congress is doomed. There is a Modi wave sweeping across the state.” The mood on the streets of Varanasi is also electric with people starting pouring in from different areas for taking part in Modi road-show. “It is good that Priyanka chose not to contest. She would have finished a poor third and lost the deposit,” said Rakesh Singh, a BJP activist.
Although some sections of the Congress enthusiastic about the prospects of a big fight by pitting Priyanka against Modi, senior leaders are learnt to have advised against it. According to a senior Congress leader, there have not been serious efforts to reach out to other opposition parties. In any case, BSP would oppose any such move, said a Congress leader who doesn’t want to be quoted.
Last week, Rahul Gandhi, to a question on whether he planned to field his sister against PM Modi, told reporters: “I will leave you in suspense. Suspense is not always a bad thing.”
In 2014, Ajay Rai finished a poor third in Varanasi, with only 75,000 votes. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came second with around two lakh votes. None of them came anywhere close to the Prime Minister’s 5.8 lakh.
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