Rahul Gandhi returns the favour, campaigns in Varanasi

Days after Narendra Modi took on Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, the Congress vice president on Saturday retaliated by campaigning in this temple town, where the BJP's prime ministerial candidate is in the fray.

Donning a Gandhi cap, the 43-year-old leader flanked by Congress candidate Ajay Rai began his roadshow in Muslim-dominated Gol Gadda area, waving to supporters who surrounded his vehicle.

Rahul's roadshow follows a massive one conducted by the Aam Aadmi Party challenger Arvind Kejriwal yesterday and the one by Modi before that.

The roadshow is expected to conclude after they cover about ten kilometres--at Lanka near BHU gate. This is the same place where Kejriwal and Modi had begun their roadshows.

In his last push before campaigning ends this evening, Kejriwal was participating in another roadshow today, while SP leader and UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav also has one scheduled.

Leaders present in Rahul's roadshow included Ghulam Nabi Azad, Madhusudan Mistry, CP Joshi and Raj Babbar.

Congress supporters began assembling since early in the morning.

"We are fighting to win. We are confident of our victory," said Azad who has been camping here.

Breaking an unwritten code, Modi had addressed a rally in Amethi, where Rahul is being challenged by the BJP's Smriti Irani, on the last day of campaigning there on May 5, and had made a stinging attack on the Nehru-Gandhi family.

The show of strength by Rahul came as campaign frenzy gripped Varanasi--which goes to polls on May 12, in the last lap of the nine-phase Lok Sabha elections.

A large posse of policemen surrounded Rahul's convoy as it moved with the flag-waving crowd in the streets of Varanasi.

With the sun blazing down, Congress supporters, many of them wearing tricolour caps, shouted slogans.

Rahul's roadshow was allowed in Beniya Bagh, where Modi was refused permission by the Election Commission to hold his rally owing to security concerns, prompting an angry reaction from the BJP.

"It is blot on the electoral process where a PM candidate has not been allowed to hold rally in his constituency. Why were security reasons cited for Modi and not for the other leaders who are campaigning there? It is now clear that the permission was denied due to political reasons and not for security reasons," BJP leader Arun Jaitley said.