Congress leader Sam Pitroda on Friday said it was Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's own decision not to contest against prime minister Narendra Modi for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.
Speculation over Priyanka Gandhi's electoral debut from Modi's constituency ended Thursday when the Congress fielded Ajay Rai from there.
"The party president had left the final decision on her, Pitroda said when reporters asked him about Rahul Gandhi not fielding his sister from the high-profile constituency.
She decided that she has several responsibilities. She decided that rather than concentrating on one seat, she should focus on the job she has at hand, Pitroda, who heads the Indian Overseas Congress, said.
So that decision was finally hers and she decided it," he said.
Priyanka Gandhi is in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh for her party
Pedestrians walk past a poster featuring US President Donald Trump outside the American Center in New Delhi on May 21, 2026 marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP via Getty Images)
FILE PHOTO: US secretary of state Marco Rubio (R) meets with Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at the State Department in Washington, DC, on February 3, 2026. (Photo by Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
