The INDIA opposition bloc is considering a list of political superstars to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, sources told NDTV Wednesday, a day after the group met in Delhi to discuss the thorny subject of seat-sharing.
Varanasi has voted for the BJP in every election since 1991 (except for 2004) and sent Mr Modi to the Lok Sabha in 2014 and 2019, the second time with a mandate in excess of 60 per cent.
The Congress held the temple town for a decade from 1952 but only intermittently since, and the INDIA bloc faces a nearly impossible task in wresting the seat from the Prime Minister's grasp.
Sources have told NDTV two names have been proposed so far - Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) boss Nitish Kumar, and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Nitish Kumar
Nitish Kumar is a one-time ally of the BJP (and now one of its fiercest rivals) and one of the bloc's founding leaders. He has also been talked up as a potential PM candidate, which he has denied. He was also talked up for that role ahead of the 2014 election, when he was allied with the BJP.
Earlier this week posters appearing to back him in that role were seen in Patna before INDIA's meeting. The JDU denied any link to the posters but party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar seemed to up pressure on INDIA, declaring "a political meaning can be derived from it".
READ | Challenge Nitish Kumar To Contest Against PM In Varanasi: BJP Leader
That "political meaning" seemed not to be evident at the INDIA meet, where Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge was pitched as a potential PM candidate. Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav, his state alliance partner, left immediately after the meet concluded.
READ | Kharge As INDIA PM Face? Mamata, Kejriwal's Surprise Pitch
Mr Kharge dismissed that and said he wants to focus on winning the election.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, meanwhile, has never contested an election. There was speculation she would in 2019 - interestingly enough the talk was about Varanasi and a showdown with the PM - but the Congress fielded Ajay Rai again, who finished third and over five lakh votes behind the PM.
Four years ago Ms Gandhi Vadra, who has said she stands ready to make her electoral debut whenever the party decides, quipped "why not" when asked if she would contest from Varanasi.
This time, reports indicate her name was proposed by Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, who also suggested Mr Kharge as a possible PM candidate for INDIA.
Earlier this year too there was buzz Ms Gandhi Vadra would be fielded from Varanasi; Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said she expected her colleague to win if she did so.
Arvind Kejriwal?
A third option for INDIA could be Aam Aadmi Party boss Arvind Kejriwal.
The Delhi Chief Minister has actually up against the Prime Minister in Varanasi once before - in 2014. Mr Kejriwal finished second, polling a little over two lakh votes and around 20 per cent of the votes.
It is worth repeating that whoever does contest against the Prime Minister - assuming INDIA can agree a common candidate - faces a difficult assignment. The BJP's formidable election-winning machinery was on show last month after it swept Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
In each instance the party chose not to field a chief ministerial candidate, or even call on a bank of state leaders, and ran instead with the Prime Minister as the face of its campaign. The strategy reaped big dividends, underlying the strength of the "Modi factor" ahead of next year's election.
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