Congress goes local, fields Ajai Rai against 'outsiders' Modi, Kejriwal

The speculations have finally come to an end and so has the uncertainty, as the Congress on Tuesday announced to field local candidate Ajai Rai against BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Varanasi.

Now, Varanasi seems all set for a battle between BJP's Narendra Modi, Congress's Ajai Rai and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal.

However, during a press conference, Congress party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that we don’t want to field an outsider in Varanasi and the work done by local candidate will speak for him. "Congress has taken a comprehensive view of things and fielded a grassroot worker from Varanasi vis-a-vis the BJP candidate. Ajai Rai is well aware of the local problems in Varanasi. This decision has been taken by the consultation of Sonia Gandhi," he said.

If political analysts are to believed, the decision, which might result in splitting of votes between Modi and Kejriwal, is driven by the fact that Congress did not have a candidate as strong as the two of them.