Party spokesman Randeep Surjewala also dismissed as "hearsay and presumptions" suggestions that several leaders including P Chidambaram, Sachin Pilot and Manish Tewari were not willing to contest and said that the list of candidates is not yet out fully.
"BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate appears to have developed jitters and cold feet. After coming to UP in search of a safe seat and choosing Varanasi, Modi has again gone back to Gujarat looking for another safe seat. The Opposition party's PM candidate is unsure of his success," Surjewala said.
"Facing certain defeat at the hands of Congress candidate Raj Babbar in Ghaziabad, BJP President Rajnath Singh is running away to Lucknow. The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and the principal architect of their political policy Arun Jaitley is also running away from his home state Delhi to Amritsar as he does not have the confidence to contest on any of the seven seats here," he said.
Surjewala said that similar was the case with senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra, who is "running away" from Lucknow to Deoria, Uma Bharti from her Parliamentary seat Teekamgarh to Jhansi and Murali Manohar Joshi from Varanasi to Kanpur.
Accusing Modi and BJP of losing direction and moorings in the "unlimited lust for power", the Congress spokesperson said the first three lists of BJP show that there is a "scramble" in that party.
Expressing Congress' resolve to give a good fight to Modi, he said, "Do not be surprised if Varanasi witnesses a similar spectacle as Ghaziabad from where BJP chief Rajnath Singh ran away after Congress fielded Raj Babbar."
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
