Much awaited news is out. Indian National Congress has finally announced its candidate against Modi in Varanasi. It’s Ajay Rai, who lost to Modi in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is renamed, and not Rahul Gandhi’s sister Priyanka Gandhi.
In fact, it was the TDP Chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu, suggestion to Congress leadership to field Priyanka Gandhi. His proposal was seconded by the NCP leader Sharad Pawar.
Though, there were strong rumors in the media that the Congress may consider their ‘trusted’ allies proposal to stop Modi’s juggernaut, finally it decided otherwise.
In 2014 LS polls, while Narendra Modi was polled 5,81,000, then the Congress nominee just got 75,000 and forfeited his deposit and finished third place. It was AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, who contested against Modi and finished second by garnering around 2-lakh plus votes. BSP finished fourth with 60,000 votes.
Many a political analyst feels that it was a wise decision by the Congress leadership, though Priyanka Gandhi expressed her willingness to take on Modi. “Had she pitted against Modi and lost, the Congress could as well forget about its revival in the biggest Hindi heartland state, Uttar Pradesh,” was opinion of a senior journalist.
The Congress strategist, many believe, will only help the party improve its tally in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in UP. The party’s long-term strategy is next assembly polls where it may project Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as their CM face to take on the entire Opposition, including the BJP.
Though, pollsters revised the BJP’s tally this time from 28 (given in Jan/Feb, 2019) to 50 (towards March-end of this year) of 80 Lok Sabha seats, also keep their fingers crossed over the earlier projections of the Mahaghatbandhan formed by the two extreme regional outfits like the Samajwad Party (SP)-led by Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati headed Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The pollsters claimed of the SP-BSP combination to do exceedingly well bagging half of the seats among themselves. But, that equation apparently changed no sooner Modi launched his electioneering.
In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP has bagged 71 of the 80 seats in UP and looks more than confident to prove the pollsters wrong of repeating their fete yet against this time around. “We bound to surpass our earlier record of 71. We certainly add one or seats more and will not concede any to the Opposition, especially the Mahaghatbhandan,” claims the BJP President Amit Shah.
Meanwhile, the jubilation in Varanasi, where the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, set to filed his nomination papers today and take part in massive road show. If one has to believe the Indian channels, Varanasi is decked up to receive Modi and ensure his victory over his rivals with more than 5 lakh votes.