Varanasi: On Wednesday, Congress general secretary Priyanka Vadra will hold a roadshow in Varanasi constituency, her party said. The Congress show of strength in the temple town comes nearly three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his own roadshow here, a day before filing his nomination papers. Congress leaders said the party's local unit has made elaborate plans to pull in the crowds for Priyanka Vadra’s roadshow. The roadshow will begin from Madan Mohan Malviya's statue at Banaras Hindu University gates.

After the roadshow, she will offer prayers first at the Kashi Vishwanath temple and then at the Kaal Bhairav temple in Kotwali area, Congress district unit president Prajanath Sharma said.

The Congress has fielded Ajay Rai against PM Narendra Modi, after much speculation that Priyanka Vadra may herself take on Modi. The Samajwadi Party has nominated Shalini Yadav, as the opposition alliance candidate. On Tuesday, Ajay Rai and Congress party spokesperson Pankhuri released the party's manifesto for the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

The manifesto promises that the party will work towards reinstating the temples which were demolished to build the Kashi Vishwanath corridor. It also lists creation of jobs, boosting farmers' income and women's empowerment among various issues. In the meantime, `sadhus' associated with the Vrindavan-based Ram Sena, headed by Vishnu Vinodam, is holding a yagna here for the Congress nominee.

"We launched the yagna at the Assi ghat yesterday and will continue for the next three days for making the Congress party win the general election," Ram Sena member Neetu Narayani said.