There was much speculation that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would contest from Varanasi
Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said the decision to not contest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi was not taken "because she was scared", rather it was the party's decision.
"If Priyanka Gandhi gets scared, she will sit at home and not do politics. I am in politics for good and will be there," she said.
Priyanka Gandhi was talking to the media during her campaign trail in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi where her brother Rahul Gandhi is seeking re-election.
Priyanka Gandhi had drawn much criticism for her no-show in Varanasi for a contest with PM Modi despite a big build-up and said if she had contested from Varanasi she would have been a captive to the constituency. She stated there was a lot of work to do across Uttar Pradesh.
"See there is a lot of work... Had I contested from Varanasi I would have been confined just to that one constituency. Every candidate wants me to go campaign for them. I cannot disappoint them," she said.
The Congress announced last week that not Priyanka Gandhi but Ajay Rai, a local Congress leader who had finished third in the 2014 polls, would be the party's candidate again in the temple town.
Ms Gandhi had then disagreed that the move sent out any "wrong signaI".
"From the start, I had said that I would do what my party says. My party decided this so I am going with that," she said.
Priyanka Gandhi's comments had set speculations blazing after she had quipped, "Why not Varanasi?" when asked by reporters to contest from her mother Sonia Gandhi's seat Raebareli.