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Express News Service
VARANASI: The rank and file of the BJP in Varanasi, one of the oldest living cities in the world, is awaiting their tallest leader, Narendra Modi, to repeat his magic once again here.
Amid resentment among people against some of its sitting legislators, including the city’s heart Varanasi South’s MLA, speculations about a strategic understanding between Samajwadi Party and Congress on two seats and discomfort among a section of upper castes over ticket distribution in outer constituencies, the BJP is desperately awaiting the charisma of local MP and PM Narendra Modi to rub all stains off the seats like in the 2017 polls.
“It’s certainly going to be a tough contest we’ve ever faced in Varanasi. Even in 2017, the contest wasn’t easy against UP Ke Ladke (Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi) but the PM’s stay in the city and a series of road shows across his parliamentary constituency turned the battle into a one-sided contest, ultimately making our party win all 8 seats for the first time,” remembers Vinay Yadav, one of the prominent Yadav leaders of BJP in Varanasi South constituency.
On similar lines, Modi is likely to camp in his constituency, possibly from March 3 to March 5, after campaigning on February 25 also.
“Our party candidates are locked in a fierce battle particularly in the predominantly urban seats. These include Varanasi South and Varanasi Cantt, both of which have been BJP bastions since 1989 and 1991, respectively. Entire party knows that PM Modi’s campaign will be the lifeline that the party needs to repeat it’s 2017 performance,” said a young Jaiswal caste leader.
Varanasi district, which goes to polls on March 7, comprises 8 Assembly seats. In 2017, powered by Modi wave, the BJP performed its best, winning all seats by margins spanning between 17,000 and 61,000-plus votes.
Also, known as ‘Kashi’s Ayodhya’, as it houses the KV Corridor, the Varanasi South seat was won by debutant Neelkanth Tiwari by 17,226 votes, while the adjoining Varanasi Cantt seat was won by debutant Saurabh Srivasatava by 61,236 votes.
Both Srivastava and Tiwari, who is among the three UP ministers in contest from Varanasi, have been fielded from their respective seats, despite high anti-incumbency.
“This time we might witness the tightest contest in these two seats, particularly because there seems to be a tactical and undeclared understanding between the Congress and the SP. While Congress has fielded a dummy candidate Mudita Kapoor to eat into BJP votes to help SP candidate Kameshwar Dikshit ‘Kishan’ in Varanasi South, the SP seems to have reciprocated with its dummy candidate Pooja Yadav to prevent sharp division of votes with Congress candidate Rajesh Mishra in Varanasi Cantt,” local BJP leader Gulshan Kapoor claimed.
Another cause of concern for the BJP is the semi-urban Rohania and largely rural Sevapuri seat, where a section of upper caste voters –Bhumihar Brahmins – are reportedly unhappy with the BJP denying ticket to sitting Rohania MLA Surendra Narayan Singh and fielding two Patel candidates, one on BJP symbol and the other on ally Apna Dal(S) symbol.
In another semi-urban seat Pindra, the first-time sitting BJP MLA is facing a tough contest against Congress candidate Ajay Rai and BSP’s Babulal. In the three other seats, the BJP seems to be better placed.
City-based political journalist Vibhuti Narayan Chaturvedi feels, “This is a wave-less election. But the real battle will come to the fore when PM Modi camps in Varanasi with his development mantra that has created a new ‘Brand Varanasi’.”
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