Modi to stay for 3 days as BJP pulls out all stops for a Varanasi repeat

In the push for Varanasi, the PM’s Lok Sabha constituency which votes on March 7, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned. Apart from the message that a repeat win in eight of the eight Assembly seats in the district, as in 2017 (6 by the BJP, 2 by allies), would send, the high-decibel campaign is also meant to overcome any drag due to the anti-incumbency running high against two ministers from Varanasi who are part of the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet.

On Monday, Lok Sabha MP and BJP Yuva Morcha national president Tejasvi Surya, who is frequently caught up in controversies over his statements, was in Varanasi, and held a campaign near Kashi Vishwanath temple and a padyatra near Assi Ghat.

Before the marquee names arrived, the BJP had already put in some of its best at work in Varanasi. BJP Gujarat general secretary (organisation) Ratnakar has been here since more than a month. A BJP leader said: “Ratnakarji was party organisation secretary in Kashi and Gorakhpur regional units in UP before his elevation and deployment in Gujarat around a year back. As he has organisational network and knowledge about the demography of Varanasi region, he is holding meetings from mandal to region units every day. He also monitors the campaign programmes. For example, ahead of the PM’s address to booth functionaries, Ratnakarji monitored every minute of the arrangements.”

Senior RSS sahsarkaryawah Arun Kumar has also been camping in Varanasi for the past few days.

The BJP has brought in leaders to target specific groups. If UP Cabinet minister Ashutosh Tandon held a meeting with the Khatri community on Sunday evening, Rajya Sabha MP Saroj Pandey, the election co-in charge, held meetings with women workers at the party office last week. To reach out to women voters, the party has also started a ‘Kamal Sakhi’ campaign. Both Shah and Pradhan have held meetings with “intellectuals”; Pradhan has also addressed meetings of sadhus.

The Varanasi Lok Sabha seat has five Assembly segments — Varanasi South, Varanasi North, Varanasi Cantonment, Rohaniya and Sevapuri. A senior RSS functionary said the BJP has been asked to focus on Varanasi South, Varanasi North and Rohania.

The BJP has fielded UP Tourism, Culture and Religious Affairs Minister Neelkanth Tiwari again from Varanasi South, from where he had won in 2017. An RSS functionary said while there is strong anti-incumbency against Tiwari and a major section of party workers, including Brahmins, were upset with him, a call was taken to not replace him. “The constituency comes under the PM’s Lok Sabha seat. A change of candidate here would have given an opportunity to the Opposition to target our double-engine government,” the RSS leader said, adding that Sangh and BJP workers have been reaching out to virtually every voter in Varanasi South seeking votes in the name of “rashtra nirman (nation building)”.

RSS and senior BJP functionaries are also speaking personally to those unhappy over ticket distribution, some of whom have declared open revolt. Among those who has been won over is Dada Shyamdev Roy Chaudhary, a seven-time MLA from Varanasi South. Upset over being replaced with Tiwari in 2017, Chaudhary had stayed away from the campaign then, but has since been convinced to join.

From Varanasi North, the BJP candidate is another UP minister, Ravindra Jaiswal, who is also believed to be facing anti-incumbency.

Rohania seat, won by the BJP in 2017, went to ally Apna Dal (S) this time. It has fielded its state vice-president Sunil Patel. An RSS functionary said Patel is facing a tough competition from the BSP, Congress and the Apna Dal (Kamerawadi)-SP alliance. All have fielded Patel candidates.

With the RSS keeping a watch also on those seats from where allies are contesting, a message has reportedly gone out from the Sangh to Apna Dal (S) leader Anupriya Patel to step up campaigning in the constituency.

Last time, the Apna Dal (S) had won Sevapuri in alliance with the BJP. This time, the BJP has fielded the same candidate, Neel Ratan Singh Patel, from the seat.

The other BJP ally who had won a seat in Varanasi last time was Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), which had won Ajgara. The SBSP has tied up with the SP this time.