Priyanka's own decision not to contest from Varanasi: Sam Pitroda

Congress leader Sam Pitroda 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.