Congress likely to announce Varanasi candidate today

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) declared its manifesto for the 2014 general elections, the Congress is likely to announce its candidate for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.

Media reports indicate that Congress MLA from Pindra Ajay Rai may be asked o take on Narendra Modi of the BJP and Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Rai belongs to the Bhumihar community.

Former party MP from Varanasi, Rajesh Mishra, is the second name doing the rounds.

Besides Modi, Kejriwal and Rai, nominees of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party will also contest the Varanasi seat, reports said.

Varanasi has become the focus of elections after Modi decided to contest from there as his second constituency besides Vadodara in Gujarat.

According to media reports, the Congress has been hamstrung by the absence of a personality to take on Modi.