Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi

Senior Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi on Friday, days before the eight assembly seats in the district go to the polls.

The brother-sister duo reached the historic temple straight from the airport, temple and Congress sources said.

After visiting the temple, they left for the Pindara assembly constituency here, Varanasi district Congress spokesperson Mritendra Singh said.

They will hold a roadshow and later address an election meeting.

Influential Congress leader Ajay Rai is contesting from the Pindara assembly segment against sitting BJP MLA Awdhesh Singh.

The Congress leaders' visit to the Kashi Vishwanath temple came hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to the shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Varanasi is also Modi's Lok Sabha constituency.

Earlier in the day, Union Minister Smriti Irani had visited the temple.

Polling will be held in Varanasi in the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 7.