Unknown Shalini Yadav to challenge Modi in Varanasi

The Samajwadi Party has fielded Shalini Yadav as the joint candidate of the SP-BSP alliance in Varanasi to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections.

A light-weight candidate, Shalini Yadav has unsuccessfully contested he Mayoral polls in Varanasi on a Congress ticket in 2017.

Shalini Yadav is the daughter of former Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson Shyamlal Yadav.

Samajwadi Party sources said that none of the senior party leaders in the region were willing to contest against the Prime Minister and the party then decided to field Shalini Yadav who joined the party on Monday evening.

"I will work to the best of my abilities under the guidance of Akhilesh Yadav and try to wrest the seat from the BJP. The youth is on our side and nothing is impossible if you make the effort," she told reporters.

The Varanasi seat had been won by Murli Manohar Joshi in 2009 and became a VIP seat in 2014 when Narendra Modi defeated his nearest rival Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party by a huge margin of over 3.75 lakh votes.

Polling in Varanasi will be held in the last phase of elections on May 19.

--IANS

amita/mr