Priyanka won't contest from Varanasi, Congress pits Ajay Rai again against PM Modi

On Modi's massive road show in the city today, Rai said, "I see so many people from Gujarat brought by the BJP here. They are not locals. It's event management."

Lok Sabha Election 2019, General Election 2019, Lok Sabha Election Result, Varanasi Lok Sabha Election 2019, Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha Election 2019, Priyaka Gandhi, Ajai Rai, Congress

New Delhi: Ending weeks of speculation, the Congress party on Thursday announced Ajay Rai as its candidate against PM Narendra Modi from Varanasi. This means Priyanka Gandhi Vadra won’t take on the prime minister which was being heavily anticipated as a blockbuster battle. Earlier, Priyanka has thrown a hint that she is not averse to taking on Modi in his own Lok Sabha constituency. "You will find out. If my Congress President tells me to contest, I will be happy to contest,” Priyanka Gandhi, sister of Rahul Gandhi, had told reporters couple of days ago. She was responding to a question whether she will contest the poll from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh from where Modi is seeking re-election. The hype around her contesting from Varanasi also soared when Ajay Rai himself said he expected Priyanka to contest from Varanasi and pledged to make her win with a huge margin. Congress workers had also stuck posters demanding Priyanka entry into the electoral battle from Varanasi. The Congress also announced Madhusdan Tiwari as its candidate from Gorakhpur. Reports say with the announcement of the two seats, the Congress has named candidates for 424 seats in all. After his name was announced, Rai told ABP News that he will give Modi a tough fight saying he is the real son of Varanasi while Modi was just an outsider. "We are from here. We are the natives of Kashi and the sons of the soil. This is our motherland. Despite losing elections, I was on ground in the last five years fighting for real issues. I was jailed, NSA was slapped on me but still I am here. Unlike, Kejriwal who came last time, lost and never saw Varanasi again." On Modi's massive road show in the city today, Rai said, "I see so many people from Gujarat brought by the BJP here. They are not locals. It's event management." In 2014, Modi won the Varanasi seat by over three lakh votes against Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal. While Modi got over 5,81,000 votes, Rai managed about 75,000 votes. Modi will be a part of a mega road show in Varanasi and file his poll nomination tomorrow.