"Varanasi a traditional Congress seat...": Ajay Rai on PM Modi's candidature for LS polls

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 2 : Following the announcement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's candidature from Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, state Congress chief Ajay Rai said that Varanasi is a traditional Congress seat and exuded confidence that the people of the constituency are with the grand old party.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in its first list of 195 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, has fielded PM Modi from the Varanasi constituency, which he has been representing since 2014.
"This (Varanasi) is a traditional Congress seat...Varanasi is completely with Congress," Rai said while speaking to ANI.
"There was no tax on paan and sarees...During the time of Prime Minister Modi, paan is also being taxed, sarees are also being taxed", he added.
The BJP, in its first list of candidates, has announced major names including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, and Rajeev Chandrashekhar.
Of 195 candidates, 34 are central and state ministers while two are former Chief Ministers who have appeared on the list.
Of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, the party has announced only one candidature--PM Narendra Modi.
In the Lok Sabha polls in 2019, PM Modi contested against Ajay Rai and won by 6,74,664 votes.
The Prime Minister, in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, defeated Ajay Rai by securing 5, 81,022 votes. Varansi, since then, has been considered a pocket-borough for the BJP.
The Lok Sabha polls are likely to be held in April-May this year.