UP Elections 2017: Last day, last show | Final battle for Varanasi today

As the seventh and the last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls concludes on Wednesday with 40 seats spread over the eastern part of the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Parliamentary constituency Varanasi continues to be the centre of all attention, with a series of high-pitched political campaigns invading the cityspace over the last three days.

BJP holds three of the five seats covered under Modi’s constituency, while its rival Samajwadi Party holds two. Led by star campaigner Modi, the BJP has left no stones unturned to woo voters of the five constituencies through back to back rallies, roadshows and public meetings as well as a visit to the Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples and Ghadwa Ghat ashram during the last three days.

Besides the rallies, roadshows and public meetings held by Modi, several high-profile Cabinet ministers and top BJP leaders frequented the city, where they addressed the media and met voters as part of the BJP’s campaign. BJP chief Amit Shah had also stayed put in Varanasi, to micromanage the party affairs.

The BJP’s heavy campaigning was countered by the initiatives of the SP-Congress combine like Dard-e-Banaras, which showed films on the voters’ disappointment with the BJP, and a roadshow in Varanasi on March 4 by state CM Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

Political observers, however, say the heavy campaigning and the subsequent public turnout at the events may not ensure a sweep for the BJP in the five seats. For instance, the saffron party is likely to face a tough fight in its stronghold, Varanasi South constituency. The party has not given a ticket to the seven-time BJP legislator Shyamdeo Roy Chowdhury, popularly known as ‘Dada’ for the seat, but has fielded newbie RSS affiliate Neelkanth Tiwari who will be contesting against former Congress MP Dr Rajesh Mishra and Rakesh Tripathi of BSP, all Brahmin faces.

In the same seat, the BJP has also bypassed Dayashankar Mishra, who stood second to Roy Chowdhury in the 2012 elections as a Congress candidate but joined the BJP in the hope of getting a ticket this time.

Poll observers say the BJP will lose out on the dedicated fan following of Dada, given that he is hurt by the party’s decision and has not campaigned for the party this elections. BJP insiders revealed that the party is also wary of losing the Muslim votes from the constituency to Congress. Varanasi South has a Muslim population of nearly 1.5 lakh, considered traditional Congress-SP voters.

Similarly in Varanasi cantonment, the party has fielded sitting MLA Jyotsna Srivastava’s son Saurabh Srivastava. While there is some resentment among locals against the sitting MLA for not being available enough to members of the constituency, party cadres were reportedly upset with their leadership for promoting one family in its constituency.

In Varanasi North, the BJP’s sitting MLA Ravindra Jaiswal continues to face a tough fight against BSP’s Sujit Kumar Maurya. In 2012, Maurya had lost to Jaiswal by 2,336 votes.

The BJP has fielded its own candidate from Rohaniya seat instead of alliance partner Apna Dal (AD), which is fighting 20 of the state’s 403 seats and has base among the Kurmis. Poll observers predict that this is likely to confuse voters resulting in a transfer of votes to BSP. In the Sevapuri seat, held by the SP currently, the BJP has fielded AD candidate who will be fighting BJP rebel Vibhuti Narain Rai.

The BJP is fighting a three-cornered battle with SP-Congress combine and BSP. In last Assembly polls, SP had won 23 seats, BSP five, BJP four and Congress three.