UP polls: Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi hold joint roadshow in Varanasi

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday held a joint roadshow in Varanasi, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi also carried out a mega roadshow.

Akhilesh and Rahul’s road show was postponed twice last month and was held on Saturday with two more days to go for campaigning in the final lap of seven-phase assembly polls.

A 10 km-long route was finalised by the district administration in consultation with the elite Special Protection Group (SPG) which provides security cover to both Modi and Gandhi.

The road show commenced at the Kutchery and conclude at Girijaghar—a church situated in Godaulia locality—close to Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav temples.

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The SP-Congress alliance hopes to cause an upset in three of the five Assembly segments falling under Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency currently held by the BJP.

Fighting separately in 2012, the two parties had together polled more votes than the BJP in all the three seats, with the Congress finishing as the runner-up in two of these—Varanasi South and Varanasi Cantt.

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(With inputs from PTI)