Lok Sabha polls: Congress now fields Madhusudan Mistry against Narendra Modi in Vadodara

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI/AHMEDABAD: Congress is fielding senior leader and AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry against BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from the Vadodara Lok Sabha seat after withdrawing its original candidate Narendra Ravat.

The move to pit a heavyweight candidate who’s also a close Rahul Gandhi aide against Modi shows that the ruling party is raising its game to try and counter the BJP’s key leader. It’s also a sign that it will look for a suitably high-profile candidate to stand in Varanasi, the other Lok Sabha seat that Modi is contesting and in which the Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal will be vying for votes as well.

This strategy could also be aimed at trying to make sure that Modi will need to focus on both constituencies, perhaps to the detriment of his campaign elsewhere in the country, analysts said. Mistry is a Gujarati and wellknown as a vocal critic of Modi.

The AICC has also fielded former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan from Nanded despite his name figuring in the Adarsh housing scam, which has given rise to criticism. Meanwhile, Youth Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Ranveet Singh Bittu has been shifted to the Ludhiana seat in place of union information and broadcasting minister Manish Tewari, who is said to be unwell. Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has already said he’s ready to fight Modi from Varanasi.

Congress leaders have already called upon the SP and BSP to ensure a united fight against Modi from Varanasi but the party is yet to name a candidate for the seat.

AICC named Mistry as its candidate in Vadodara after the party leadership felt Ravat wouldn’t be a strong enough opponent to Modi. Incidentally, Ravat had become the Congress candidate from Vadodara after he won a “party primary". “I am happy to fight against Modi and I am confident of a victory," Mistry said soon after his candidature was announced.

Before the AICC announcement, Ravat issued a statement in Vadodara announcing his desire to withdraw."Now that the Narendra Modi has chosen to contest from here, I request the Congress leadership to withdraw me from the contest and nominate an appropriate candidate to contest against Modi," he said.