Who will be Congress candidate against Narendra Modi from Varanasi?

Updated: Thursday, March 20, 2014, 11:15 [IST]

Varanasi, March 17: The BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is all set to contest Lok Sabha election 2014 from the Varanasi constituency of Uttar Pradesh.

On Sunday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal also announced that he is ready to accept the challenge of fighting Modi from Varanasi.

However, he will take the final call once he visits Varanasi on March 23 to decide whether to contest against Modi or not.

But the main "surprise element" is still missing as the Congress has not yet fielded any candidate against Modi.

But ideally, the real "battle of power" can be made interesting if Congress decides to pit its Vice President Rahul Gandhi from Varanasi against Modi.

Narendra Modi versus Rahul Gandhi versus Arvind Kejriwal will be the perfect "rival trio" and the holy land of Varanasi will become a battleground for the three leaders to showcase their political capabilities.

Modi has replaced sitting MP and senior party leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who has been shifted to Kanpur constituency.

Cong may field Rajesh Mishra, Ajay Rai or a celebrity against Modi in Varanasi.

Will Congress field Rajesh Mishra, Ajay Rai or a celebrity against Modi?

On Sunday, Congress said it will give a "good fight" to Modi on Varanasi seat and did not rule out fielding an 'outsider'.

"We will be giving a good fight but we are not decided whether the candidate against Modi will be a local or an outsider," party general secretary Madhusudan Mistry said when asked whom the party plans to field against Modi.

Mistry, a known detractor of the Gujarat chief minister, is in-charge of Congress affairs in Uttar Pradesh.

Among the local candidates, the names of Rajesh Mishra and Ajay Rai are doing the rounds.

A section in the Congress wants an influential leader pitched against Modi, while others want a celebrity to be pitched against him.

Mishra, who represented the seat from 2004 to 2009, had said that he has "no problem" in facing Modi in the polls.

Mishra had finished fourth in the last polls as the election had become a tussle between Joshi and Mukhtar Ansari of the BSP.

Rai, who quit Samajwadi Party to join Congress, had come third in the last election.

The "holy city" Varanasi is considered to be politcally significant and BJP hopes to boost the party's prospects in the electorally crucial state.

Varanasi- Legislative Assembly segments