As it happened: Sonia Gandhi visits Varanasi, returns to Delhi after falling ill

Congress president Sonia Gandhi held a roadshow in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, to campaign for the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

After Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s impressive show on July 31 in Lucknow where he interacted with party workers, Sonia’s roadshow in Varanasi is the second major show of strength in the poll-bound state.

The roadshow began from Kachahari and was supposed to conclude at Englishiyaline where the Congress president was expected to deliver a short speech and garland the statue of former Union minister late Kamlapati Tripathi. But just before reaching Englishiyaline, she fell ill and flew back to Delhi on doctors’ advice, cutting short her visit.

Below are the live updates:

6:45 pm: Sonia Gandhi cuts short her road show just before reaching Englishiya Line after she fell ill. She has been advised by doctor to return to Delhi.

5:46pm: Cavalcade reaches Englishiya Line

5:20pm: Congress vice president’s cavalcade on its way to Maldahiya

4:30pm: Sonia Gandhi’s cavalcade on the streets of Varanasi

3:05pm: Sonia Gandhi leads Congress roadshow in Varanasi

2:10pm: Sonia Gandhi garlands BR Ambedkar’s statue in Varanasi

1 pm:UP chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit offers prayers at Varanasi’s Sankatmochan temple

UPCC chief Raj Babbar with party president Sonia Gandhi and CM candidate Sheila Dikshit.

- Party workers have lined up on both sides of the road to welcome her.

The Congress has pulled up all its resources to make the event a grand success. Every nook and corner of the temple town is festooned with party flags and buntings for the mega show. At the famous roadside tea stalls in Varanasi known as ‘chai ki adi’, the only topic of discussion on Tuesday is Sonia Gandhi’s road show.

“It is from Kashi that Congress will make a comeback in Uttar Pradesh,” veteran Congress leader Vijay Shanker Mehta said.

Read| Sonia launches UP poll campaign in Varanasi