The local unit of the Congress too has demanded that Priyanka, who formally entered politics and was appointed the general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East, be pitted directly against Modi.
Congress leader Ajay Rai, had unsuccessfully contested against Modi in 2014. The Congress workers including Rai believe Priyanka fighting from Varanasi will make a huge impact in the region as well as in the neighbouring states. Some of them blustered that Modi would have to lose deposits if he gets challenged by Priyanka from Varanasi seat. “Our only aim is to defeat Narendra Modi,” said a local Congress leader.
To discern whether the people of Uttar Pradesh intend to see Priyanka take Modi head on, ABP News and CVoter commissioned a survey and have found that sixty percent of the respondents strongly believe that Priyanka should be pitted against PM Narendra Modi from the prestigious constituency of Varanasi for Lok Sabha polls. Thirty two percent of the surveyed lot doesn’t think it’s a wise move. 8% do not have an opinion over it.
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Amethi and Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha seats held by her brother Rahul and mother Sonia Gandhi, are in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Varanasi constituency and chief minister Yogi Adityanath's stronghold Gorakhpur are also part of this region.
It will be interesting to witness if Rahul Gandhi & his advisors actually fulfill the wishes of the Congress workers here who are chanting, "Kashi Ki Janta Kare Pukar, Priyanka Gandhi Ho Sansad Hamar.”
(The ABP News-CVoter survey was carried out in the fourth week of January in Uttar Pradesh and the sample size achieved was 6,086. state that The state sends the maximum number of 80 members to the Lok Sabha)