VARANASI, Uttar Pradesh — Congress party vice-president Rahul Gandhi conducted a roadshow hereb on Saturday in support of his party's nominee Ajai Rai is pitted against Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party. Gandhi started his roadshow from the Gol Gadda Chauraha, a Muslim-dominated area, and it culminated at Lanka in Varanasi city. The Congress vice-president also addressed a meeting later at Sathwan, in Chiraigaon block of Varanasi district. The decision about the roadshow in Varanasi was taken after Modi broke the unwritten code and held a rally in Rahul Gandhi's parliamentary constituency Amethi on May 5 and targeted the Gandhi family. Gandhi's roadshow is being seen as a way of getting back at Modi as generally no top political leader campaigns in the political backyard of a top rival. Meanwhile, on Friday, Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of India's new anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led a massive rally through the streets of Varanasi city. Kejriwal began the rally in the rural parts of Varanasi constituency. There are huge traffic jams around the gate of Benaras Hindu University (BHU) from where Kejriwal proceeded to the city. Officials had imposed tight security as supporters of the main opposition BJP and some of the ruling Congress party were seen waving flags on the roads where Kejriwal's convoy passed, he added.
The streets of Varanasi was flooded with supporters of the AAP in white caps. Kejriwal has been campaigning in the city for nearly a month now and a similar event there last month, when he filed his nomination papers. On Thursday, Modi's street rally brought the city to a halt, choking its narrow lanes and by-lanes. His party workers also held a protest outside the BHU campus, accusing the Election Commission of being partisan for denying Modi permission to hold a rally at a venue of his choice.
