The Congress today named Ajay Rai as its Varanasi candidate for the upcoming election, which now means that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will not contest from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Congress today named Ajay Rai as its Varanasi candidate for the upcoming election, which now means that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will not contest from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress often projected Priyanka Gandhi as its “Brahmastra” against PM Modi. Even when Rahul Gandhi answered a question on whether he planned to field his sister against PM Modi, he replied, "I will leave you in suspense. Suspense is not always a bad thing." But now this announcement from Congress has put an end to the suspense.
Priyanka Gandhi, 47, joined politics in January this year and was appointed one of the two General Secretaries in charge of the Congress campaign in Uttar Pradesh. She was given charge of eastern UP, which includes Varanasi.
During her campaigns in UP, Priyanka Gandhi accused PM Modi for running a government indifferent to the poor, "I was stunned to hear from people in Varanasi that in five years, the PM didn't get time to go to a single village, nor visit even one family in his constituency," she alleged.
Priyanka had said that she would contest from Varanasi if the party asked her to do so. Since then, there had been a buzz about the party fielding her against PM Modi. But the announcement of Ajay Rai as Congress' candidate has ended all speculation about a giant Priyanka-Modi electoral battle.
In the 2014 election, PM Modi won in Varanasi securing 5.8 lakh votes, while Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal came in second with about two lakh votes, and the present running candidate for Congress Ajay Rai secured only 75,000 votes.
Congress often projected Priyanka Gandhi as its “Brahmastra” against PM Modi. Even when Rahul Gandhi answered a question on whether he planned to field his sister against PM Modi, he replied, "I will leave you in suspense. Suspense is not always a bad thing." But now this announcement from Congress has put an end to the suspense.
Priyanka Gandhi, 47, joined politics in January this year and was appointed one of the two General Secretaries in charge of the Congress campaign in Uttar Pradesh. She was given charge of eastern UP, which includes Varanasi.
During her campaigns in UP, Priyanka Gandhi accused PM Modi for running a government indifferent to the poor, "I was stunned to hear from people in Varanasi that in five years, the PM didn't get time to go to a single village, nor visit even one family in his constituency," she alleged.
Priyanka had said that she would contest from Varanasi if the party asked her to do so. Since then, there had been a buzz about the party fielding her against PM Modi. But the announcement of Ajay Rai as Congress' candidate has ended all speculation about a giant Priyanka-Modi electoral battle.
In the 2014 election, PM Modi won in Varanasi securing 5.8 lakh votes, while Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal came in second with about two lakh votes, and the present running candidate for Congress Ajay Rai secured only 75,000 votes.