New Delhi, April 13 (IANS) AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal leaves Monday by train for Varanasi to take on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha election, party sources said Sunday.
Kejriwal will take an evening train from here and reach the Hindu holy city in Uttar Pradesh Tuesday when he is expected to hit the campaign trail, the sources said.
Although it is more than evident that Kejriwal will be the Aam Aadmi Party candidate in Varanasi, the party has made no official announcement to this effect so far.
April 24 is the last date for filing of nomination in Varanasi, which goes to the polls in the last of the nine-phase Lok Sabha balloting May 12. The last date for withdrawal of nomination is April 28.
From Tuesday, Kejriwal is expected to camp in Varanasi until the polling day, one of his aides told IANS.
In between, however, the former Delhi chief minister will travel to nearby Amethi constituency to seek votes for his colleague Kumar Vishwas in Amethi, which will vote May 7.
The AAP has already unleashed a major campaign in support of Kejriwal in Varanasi, from where veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi was elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009.
The man Joshi defeated, Quami Ekta Dal leader Mukhtar Ansari, has announced he won't be contesting this time.
His announcement has already triggered speculation that there may be mass voting by Varanasi's Muslim population in favour of Kejriwal.
Asked about this, an AAP leader told IANS: "That's what you people (media) think. The AAP already had the support of Muslims in Varanasi."
Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia left Saturday for Varanasi. Scores of AAP supporters are also expected to pitch in for Kejriwal and Kumar Vishwas in Varanasi and Amethi respectively.
The third major contender in Varanasi, apart from Modi and Kejriwal, is Ajay Rai of the Congress.
Kejriwal has already been going hammer and tongs against Modi all over the country, accusing the Gujarat chief minister of pandering to the interests of corporate houses.
The AAP leader has also been saying that Modi's achievements in Gujarat were more or less a myth, promoted mainly by the media.
He also said that the most important candidates in ths Lok Sabha election who needed to be defeated are Modi (Varanasi) and Rahul Gandhi (Amethi).
Kolkata Doctor Murder Case: TMC's hand behind the vandalism at RG Kar Hospital! Many of the attackers were close to Trinamool councillors
Kolkata Doctor Murder Case: A new revelation has been made on the vandalism that took place on the night of August 14 at RG Kar Medical College Hospital. Many of those who attacked the hospital (RG
Will China-US relations improve? US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet before G20
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met before the G-20 Summit in Bali, the capital of Indonesia. The meeting of these two is considered quite shocking in the way the tensions
Scott Boland : Karthik praised Scott Boland for dismissing Shubman Gill, and gave India a comeback mantra
The World Test Championship Final (WTC 2023) is being played between India and Australia. Australian fast bowlers dominated the second day of the match. India's top-order batsmen were dismissed
Will India be able to play the WTC final: 6 Tests left for Team India, and know 8 ways to reach the title match
After the defeat in the ODI series, Team India is going to play a two-Test series against Bangladesh today. Both these matches are very important for India to reach the final of the World Test
Janmashtami 2023: Preparations for Dahi Handi festival in full swing in Mumbai, BMC has made special arrangements for 'Govinda'
Janmashtami 2023 Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated across the country today. Crowds of devotees are being seen in the temples to have darshan of Lord Shri Krishna. Due to Krishna Janmashtami
Budget allocation for AIIMS cut marginally
New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) The allocation for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here witnessed a marginal drop in the budget for 2015-16 presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
JNU Admission 2022: Application begins for admission to undergraduate courses in JNU, know the complete process
JNU Admission 2022: Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has started the registration process for admission to its undergraduate courses for the academic session 2022-23 through Common University
Singapore President to visit India from Feb 8
New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) Singaporean President Tan Keng Yam will be on a state visit to India from Feb 8-11 to mark the 50th anniversary of bilateral ties.External affairs ministry spokesperson
SRH vs RCB Playing 11: RCB will have to be careful of Hyderabad batsmen, hope will be from Kohli.
When the Sunrisers Hyderabad team takes the field against the bottom-ranked Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL match on Thursday, they will again look to score runs while batting
India Singapore Relations: Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore will visit India today, and there will be a discussion on increasing cooperation between the two countries
Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Lavrance Wong is coming to India on a five-day visit from today. His five-day visit to India will continue till September 21. He will be visiting India for the first
