Congress leaders based in Varanasi on Wednesday expressed confidence that common voters of the Varanasi parliamentary constituency across caste and religious affiliation will accept Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as their favourite candidate and Ms. Vadra will emerge victorious against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, if she decides to contest from the high-profile seat. The debate about the Congress general secretary contesting from Varanasi started after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut last week said the Congress leader can surely win from the Varanasi constituency against the Prime Minister.
“Varanasi used to be the Congress’s bastion for a long time. Raghunath Singh won thrice from the seat, while Kamlapati Tripathi, a tall leader, also represented the seat for the grand-old party. Voters of the Varanasi constituency across caste and religious affiliation will accept Ms. Vadra as their favourite candidate and she will emerge victorious against Mr. Modi,” said Ajay Rai, working and provincial president, Prayagraj zone, of the grand-old party, under which Varanasi district falls in the Congress organisational structure.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Rai, who contested against Mr. Modi in 2014 and 2019, stated that as of now there are no deliberations in the party about fielding Ms. Vadra. The Gandhi family would decide from where they would like to contest as whole Uttar Pradesh and India were their home. “No deliberations are happening at the local level, what we have heard is through media,” he said.
Caste dynamics
The local party leaders highlighted the caste dynamics of voters also in favour of the Congress leader. “Brahmin, Kurmi and Muslim votes are in high numbers under Varanasi Lok Sabha, and these groups, apart from other sections, will definitely support us,” said Rajeshwar Singh Patel, Varanasi district Congress chief.
In the high-profile Lok Sabha constituency, the grand-old party last won the poll in 2004, when its candidate Rajesh Mishra defeated the BJP’s Shankar Prasad Jaiswal by over 56,000 votes. In the 2014 and 2019 polls, the Congress candidate Mr. Ajay Rai, came third, polling 75,614 and 1,52, 548 votes respectively.
