New Delhi:
In what could turn out to be the "mother of all political battles", Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is likely to contest the ongoing Lok Sabha eelctions against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi.
According to sources, Priyanka will file her nomination papers from Varanasi on April 29 after visiting the Kaal Bhairav Mandir.
Sources further revealed that in case Priyanka contests the polls from Varanasi, the opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh will withdraw the nomination of its candidate Shalini Yadav. The SP-BSP-RLD alliance had announced Shalini Yadav as its joint candidate for the constituency on Monday.
Adding currency to the 'will she, won't she' speculation, Priyanka had on Tuesday said that she would abide by her party's decision on contesting against PM Modi from Varanasi.
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Last month, it was widely expected that Priyanka Gandhi may contest from Rae Bareli, though she had quipped "why not Varanasi", triggering the speculation.
Varanasi will vote in the last phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 19.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi has been saying that his sister will take a call on the Varanasi question and chose to keep the "suspense alive". But she reiterated Tuesday it would be the party chief's decision.
With her entry into active politics this year, some Congress leaders had commented that had she done it in 2014, it would have had a huge impact electorally.
After years of working in the Congress backrooms, Priyanka Gandhi joined full-time politics in February as in-charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, hoping to change the party's fortunes in the ongoing Lok Sabha election.
