BJP big guns camp in Varanasi for PM Modi's show
NEW DELHI: Having shifted its campaign headquarters for the Uttar Pradesh elections to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi, senior BJP leaders and union ministers are now busy preparing the ground for his two rallies, a meeting with intellectuals and other programmes in the area before the last phase of polling on March 8.
With its opponents in three assembly seats in Varanasi giving BJP a tough fight, it has become a prestige issue for the party to win them. BJP chief Amit Shah, who was earlier mostly operating with Lucknow as his base, has now shifted to Varanasi. He has been personally involved in strategising and monitoring the day-to-day progress of the campaign not only in Varanasi, but also in the Poorvanchal region that goes to polls in the sixth and seventh phase respectively.
While Shah returns to Varanasi after campaigning in different constituencies – he even went to Manipur for a day on Wednesday – health minister JP Nadda has been stationed in Varanasi. BJP Rajya Sabha members Om Mathur and Bhupendra Yadav, BJP secretary (organisation) UP Sunil Bansal and national secretary Srikant Sharma are based in the city.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley, power minister Piyush Goel, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad have visited Varanasi. Textile Minister Smriti Irani will be in Varanasi as part of BJP plans of having one union minister hold a press meet everyday.
She will address the press at 12 noon. The party is banking heavily on the charisma of Modi to make things better for the BJP in his constituency. That it is a tough battle for BJP can be gauged from the fact that Modi will be holding two public meetings in the district — on March 4 and 5.
“The prime minister will arrive in Varanasi after a jan sabha in neighbouring Jaunpur on March 4. He will go for a darshan of Lord Vishwanath and then address a public meeting before returning to Delhi. He will address another public meeting on March 5 and then stay for the night in Varanasi.
He will meet intellectuals on March 6, the last day of campaigning, before going back,” a party leader said. While a roadshow of the prime minister had been planned earlier, it has now been dropped. Party leaders cite objections from the Special Protection Group that guards the PM as the reason.
Out of the eight assembly seats in Varanasi, Rohaniya and Sevapuri are being contested by NDA partner Apna Dal, while BJP is in the fray in the other six. Of these, the contest is tough in Pindra, Varanasi Cantonment and Varanasi South.
Incidentally, all these seats are being fought by the Congress and this had made it more of an ego issue for the BJP, which has done well against the grand old party in almost all elections – local as well as state level – since 2014.Ajay Rai is the Congress sitting MLA in Pindra and is likely to win this time too.
Congress has fielded Anil Srivastava from Varanasi Cantt. He stood second the last time, but with Congress-SP in alliance this time, he stands a good chance. There is resentment in the BJP camp here as the ticket has gone to Saurabh Srivastava, whose parents have earlier contested from this seat. BJP workers feel their party leadership is promoting one family on this seat.
Former Congress MP Rajesh Mishra, who won the Lok Sabha polls in 2004, is contesting from Varanasi South. While he is a strong candidate, what has made matters worse for the BJP is the rebellion by Shyamdeo Roy Chaudhury, the seven-time sitting MLA from this seat.
In protest, he has not been campaigning as he was denied a ticket. Dayashankar Mishra, who stood second in 2012 when he contested as a Congress candidate, is now in the BJP. He is said to be sulking as he too was bypassed and Neelkanth Tiwari was given the ticket.
Modi will have to assuage the feelings of all these disgruntled elements within the party and take on the challenge posed by the SPCongress alliance in his Lok Sabha constituency.
With its opponents in three assembly seats in Varanasi giving BJP a tough fight, it has become a prestige issue for the party to win them. BJP chief Amit Shah, who was earlier mostly operating with Lucknow as his base, has now shifted to Varanasi. He has been personally involved in strategising and monitoring the day-to-day progress of the campaign not only in Varanasi, but also in the Poorvanchal region that goes to polls in the sixth and seventh phase respectively.
While Shah returns to Varanasi after campaigning in different constituencies – he even went to Manipur for a day on Wednesday – health minister JP Nadda has been stationed in Varanasi. BJP Rajya Sabha members Om Mathur and Bhupendra Yadav, BJP secretary (organisation) UP Sunil Bansal and national secretary Srikant Sharma are based in the city.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley, power minister Piyush Goel, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad have visited Varanasi. Textile Minister Smriti Irani will be in Varanasi as part of BJP plans of having one union minister hold a press meet everyday.
She will address the press at 12 noon. The party is banking heavily on the charisma of Modi to make things better for the BJP in his constituency. That it is a tough battle for BJP can be gauged from the fact that Modi will be holding two public meetings in the district — on March 4 and 5.
“The prime minister will arrive in Varanasi after a jan sabha in neighbouring Jaunpur on March 4. He will go for a darshan of Lord Vishwanath and then address a public meeting before returning to Delhi. He will address another public meeting on March 5 and then stay for the night in Varanasi.
He will meet intellectuals on March 6, the last day of campaigning, before going back,” a party leader said. While a roadshow of the prime minister had been planned earlier, it has now been dropped. Party leaders cite objections from the Special Protection Group that guards the PM as the reason.
Out of the eight assembly seats in Varanasi, Rohaniya and Sevapuri are being contested by NDA partner Apna Dal, while BJP is in the fray in the other six. Of these, the contest is tough in Pindra, Varanasi Cantonment and Varanasi South.
Incidentally, all these seats are being fought by the Congress and this had made it more of an ego issue for the BJP, which has done well against the grand old party in almost all elections – local as well as state level – since 2014.Ajay Rai is the Congress sitting MLA in Pindra and is likely to win this time too.
Congress has fielded Anil Srivastava from Varanasi Cantt. He stood second the last time, but with Congress-SP in alliance this time, he stands a good chance. There is resentment in the BJP camp here as the ticket has gone to Saurabh Srivastava, whose parents have earlier contested from this seat. BJP workers feel their party leadership is promoting one family on this seat.
Former Congress MP Rajesh Mishra, who won the Lok Sabha polls in 2004, is contesting from Varanasi South. While he is a strong candidate, what has made matters worse for the BJP is the rebellion by Shyamdeo Roy Chaudhury, the seven-time sitting MLA from this seat.
In protest, he has not been campaigning as he was denied a ticket. Dayashankar Mishra, who stood second in 2012 when he contested as a Congress candidate, is now in the BJP. He is said to be sulking as he too was bypassed and Neelkanth Tiwari was given the ticket.
Modi will have to assuage the feelings of all these disgruntled elements within the party and take on the challenge posed by the SPCongress alliance in his Lok Sabha constituency.
