Dejected Congress pins hopes on Priyanka Gandhi's campaign in Varanasi

Varanasi: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra may not be contesting from Varanasi but the local Congress unit is pinning its hopes on her camping here for four-five days to campaign for Congress. The alliance candidate claims she will defeat Narendra Modi in a repeat of then PM Indira Gandhi’s defeat from Rae Bareli in 1977.

Local Congress leaders at the Maidigan office of the party in Varanasi, speaking on the condition of anonymity, sounded dejected over the developments and some also questioned why the party had fielded Ajay Rai yet again after he had lost two elections continuously. Rai had lost the 2017 assembly election from Pindara, his stronghold constituency in Varanasi and in fact finished third here. “We are hearing that Priyanka Gandhi may come for Ajay Rai’s nomination on Monday. She may also devote 4-5 days to Varanasi for her campaign. That may infuse some energy and hope here,” a local Congress leader in Varanasi told ET.

Similar is the situation in the Alliance camp though its candidate Shalini Yadav claimed to ET that history will repeat itself with PM Narendra Modi being defeated in Varanasi this time like Raj Narain had defeated then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Rae Bareli in 1977. Yadav arrived in Varanasi on Thursday to a lukewarm welcome, which went virtually unnoticed on the day PM Narendra Modi held a massive road show in Varanasi. Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav are expected to hold rallies for Yadav in Varanasi next month and a joint rally of Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav is slated for the third week of May in Varanasi.