VARANASI: When the parley is on for a pre-poll alliance between Samajwadi Party and Congress in UP assembly elections, AICC president Sonia Gandhi is likely to visit Varanasi in the first week of February to offer prayer and take blessings of Lord Shiva at Kashi Vishwanath temple. The excitement of local party workers is high for the proposed visit of Sonia, who had to cut short her roadshow in the city due to illness in August last year."We are eagerly waiting for her visit to the city. Though the date is yet to be finalised, we are ready with all necessary arrangements," Congress MLA from Pindra Ajay Rai told to TOI on Thursday. "Due to sudden illness during the roadshow, she could not go to offer prayer at Kashi Vishwanath temple in August last. This time she is coming here mainly for offering prayer at the temple," said Rai, who had looked after the roadshow arrangements during her August visit.The Congress camp is taking her proposed visit as a major booster to party workers not only in Varanasi but also others districts of eastern UP during assembly elections. Definitely her visit would boost the morale of party workers, said Rai, who had unsuccessfully contested against BJP's PM nominee Narendra Modi in 2014 Lk Sabha election. In this region, the Congress had won three seats in 2012 assembly elections in Varanasi, Jaunpur and Mirzapur districts.Sonia had held a grand roadshow on August 2 last year, and had planned to visit Kashi Vishwanath temple after the roadshow. She got a rousing welcome from party workers in the city. But, because of her sickness she had to return to New Delhi without visiting the temple. In a statement, she had said that she would come back and visit Kashi Vishwanath temple.

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