Sanjay Raut picks Priyanka against PM Modi from Varanasi, predicts 3 tough seats for BJP

Priyanka Gandhi can win from Varanasi against Prime Minister Narendra Modi if she decides to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, said Uddhav Thackeray faction MP Sanjay Raut. Stating that people of the country want change, Raut predicted that the Bharatiya Janata Party will face tough competition on several seats in the upcoming elections, especially from Raebareli, Varanasi and Amethi.

“If Priyanka Gandhi fights from Varanasi against PM Narendra Modi then she will win for sure. Varanasi people want Priyanka Gandhi. The fight for Raebareli, Varanasi and Amethi is tough for BJP,” Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide Sanjay Raut was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

Raut’s statement came after a police complaint was filed against Congress Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with several others in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore. The FIR was filed by the coordinator of BJP’s legal wing in Indore, Nimesh Pathak, against Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi over her social media post, in which she accused the BJP-led state government of indulging in corruption.

Raut’s 3 seats prediction 

The Shiv Sena (UBT) MP further forecast that the saffron camp will face a tough fight on several crucial seats in Uttar Pradesh, mainly Raebareli, Varanasi and Amethi, in 2024. Let’s have a look at the three constituencies which are likely to face a massive political battle as per Sanjay Raut: 

Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi seat. PM Modi, for the first time, contested the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi in 2014 sweeping away all his opponents. In 2019 as well, it was speculated that Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi was to contest from this high-profile against the Prime Minister, however, she did not contest the polls. 

Earlier in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi defeated Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal by a massive margin in Varanasi. Kejriwal contested as AAP nominee in 2014 against PM Modi and was able to secure just 2 lakh votes.

Raebareli and Amethi: Raebareli and Amethi were often considered to be the Congress's bastions in Uttar Pradesh. While Sonia Gandhi retained the Raebareli seat in 2019, the streak for Amethi was broken after BJP leader Smriti Irani won against Congress scion Rahul Gandhi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.