Ghaziabad: UP Congress chief warns PM Modi of defeat in Varanasi

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Rai on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to contest from Varanasi constituency, will lose the seat this time.

Rai was in Ghaziabad to inaugurate the election office of Congress candidate Dolly Sharma.

The Congress has decided to field Rai against PM Modi from Varanasi for the third time in a row. He, however, lost 2014 and 2019 election to Modi from Varanasi seat.

Ahead of the polls in Ghaziabad on April 26, the Congress has fielded Dolly Sharma who lost to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Gen VK Singh (retired) in 2019.

Her election office was inaugurated on Friday at the Ambedkar Road and it was attended by Rai and office bearers and supporters from different opposition parties.

“A vote given here to Dolly Sharma will send a huge message in UP and in Varanasi where people will teach a lesson to PM Modi. During the past, I contested against Modi on Congress symbol. This time, we have support of our brothers (allies). ‘Modi ki khatiya khadi kar denge (we will teach lesson to Modi)’. This time, the fight in Varanasi will start from 400,000 votes,” Rai in his speech at the opening of Sharma’s election office.

PM Modi is scheduled to hold a roadshow in Ghaziabad on Saturday.

“We are those people who know how to fight, no matter you put us in jail or demolish our houses. They (the BJP) cannot demolish our strength. People here have seen how people in different areas are annoyed with BJP candidates. We are hopeful that INDIA bloc will win all 80 seats in UP,” Rai added.

Meanwhile, candidate Dolly Sharma during her speech at the event, praised efforts of the opposition leaders.

She is pitted against BJP’s Atul Garg who is also a sitting MLA from the Ghaziabad assembly segment while the other candidate is Thakur Nandkishor Pundhir representing the Bahujan Samaj Party.

All the three candidates, along with 11 others, passed the nomination scrutiny stage on Friday.

“The INDIA bloc has not been able to announce candidates on seats in UP and they are changing candidates on seats where they announced earlier. Their show of strength is nothing and they are dreaming big to defeat PM Modi,” said Chandra Mohan, spokesperson BJP (UP).

“The BJP is going to win all 80 seats in UP and the opposition will be reduced to zero. People have seen that they do not exist anywhere,” he added.