Will 'definitely' challenge Narendra Modi in Varanasi: Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi, March 26:

President

today said the party will "definitely challenge" Narendra Modi in Varanasi in the Lok Sabha polls.

"We will definitely challenge the Varanasi seat. Candidate has not been decided yet," she told reporters after the release of the party manifesto for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. She was asked whether the Congress would be taking on the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate in Varanasi seat and who would be its candidate.

The name of senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh is doing the rounds for Varanasi seat against Modi and the party has made it clear that it will not vacate the political space by not contesting in favour of any candidate including Arvind Kejriwal.

The party has already fielded AICC General Secretary Madhusudan Mistry, a close aide of Rahul Gandhi, to take on Narendra Modi in Vadodara, the second seat from where the Gujarat Chief Minister is contesting.

Sonia: Candidate for Varanasi seat has not been decided yet

At the manifesto release press conference, Rahul Gandhi suggested that Narendra Rawat, who was elected in the party primaries to contest from Vadodara, expressed his inability to face the fight against Modi who was named later.

Gandhi said that Rawat told the party leadership that it can field a heavyweight to take on the "senior member of the opposition". Mistry, who had won the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Sabarkantha, Gujarat, and is at present a Rajya Sabha member, was yesterday made the candidate from Vadodara.

Ever since Modi's candidature was announced from Vadodara, there was speculation that Congress will change its candidate from the seat as the party declared that the electoral battle against the BJP's PM candidate will be fought strongly especially in constituencies which he is contesting.

PTI