Varanasi: In the final leg of a mammoth election process, India’s attention is shifting to the parliamentary seat of Varanasi, considered their Vatican by a billion Hindus of the world. To the residents of Varanasi, a city believed to be one of the oldest in the world – established in 3000 BC — this contest is no less important than the Biblical fight between David and Goliath.
While it is clear that ‘Goliath’ is BJP candidate and prime ministerial hopeful Narendra Modi, Varanasi is still searching for a ‘David’. Ahead of May 12 polling here, both Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal and local heavyweight Ajay Rai of Congress are striving to position themselves as the ‘challenger-in-chief’ of Modi. Because of this sub-contest, a semblance of fight is now getting amplified, contrary to Indian media’s projection of one-sided election with a forgone conclusion in favour of Modi.
Varanasi is no stranger to epic battles – Hindu scriptures talk about Pandavas arriving here to atone for their sins they had committed during a war with their 100 cousins in Kurukshetra, fought near capital Delhi, 800 km from here.
More recently, Muslim invaders – Turkish ruler Qutubddin Aibak in 1194 and by Afghan kings Mohammed Ghauri, Feroz Shah and Sikander Lodhi in 13th and 14th centuries – plundered Varanasi and destroyed thousands of temples.
Modi is also contesting from Vadodra in his home state of Gujarat where polling concluded on April 30. The BJP’s decision to field him from Varanasi is a strategic masterstroke as his presence here, it is believed, would influence dozens of seat in key battleground state of Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring Bihar. Both the states elect 120 lawmakers, a number critical to government formation in Delhi.
On Friday morning, a convoy of cars – all black Ford SUVs – pulled over outside a house in the old city. Inside the high-walled house, Rai is talking to visitors before heading out to villages. “Being a local, I have an edge, people are angry with the BJP for fielding candidates from outside Varanasi – earlier Murli Manohar Joshi and now Modi,” he said in an interview with Gulf News.
“Modi is popular only in affluent sections and has no following at the ground level. BJP has brought in cadre from Gujarat and Maharashtra, angering their local supporters,” said Rai who has won assembly election thrice on BJP ticket.
He dismissed Kejriwal as a “publicity-seeking” stuntman. “Kejriwal is nowhere in the fight, come with me to villages and see how much support he has. He is only getting support from a small section of Muslims,” he said.
Early this week, mafia don Mukhtar Ansari, who was defeated by Joshi in 2009 by just 17,000 votes, declared his support for Rai, a politically gesture that may draw Muslims towards Congress. The constituency has 300,000 Muslims, out of a total of 1.6 million voters. Rai, however, ruled out a Hindu-Muslim polarisation after Mukhtar’s support saying: “I am not a Muslim, BJP would like a polarisation but it won’t happen.”
“Election will be fought on caste lines and Modi brand will prove ineffective here,” he said, asking, “will Modi as PM have time for this constituency, how many such seats have benefited after electing a PM and let him declare which seat he will vacate – Varanasi or Vadodra?” “I am getting full support from Congress, Ghulam Nabi Azad is based here and I am hoping Priyanka will campaign here,” he added.
While Rai is banking on his image as a local leader, Kejriwal’s team relies on an army of around 5,000 volunteers, 1500 from outside, to carry his message to the voters. On Thursday, AAP had lined up its top leadership to release a manifesto for Varanasi. Kejriwal was not present as he was campaigning in Amethi.
“May 16th is not far away but the people of India will experiment with a different kind of political dispensation and I feel AAP will win 50-100 seats across India,” said senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia in an interview to Gulf News. “A reasonable political assessment about Varanasi is that Modi is using money and criminals and we are fighting honestly. We are neck-and-neck with Modi.”
“We have initiated a process to cleanse the political system and honest Indians from all over the world – Dubai, Japan, US, Singapore — are supporting us to fight Modi. They believe they must contribute in this fight, some have donated funds, others are camping in Varanasi,” he said.
AAP volunteers are visible in streets and are going door-to-door in a well-coordinated campaigning, carrying their party’s message of promising a clean and corruption free government. AAP’s three-storey modest office near city’s government-owned radio station Akaashwani was buzzing with supporters and volunteers on Thursday.
Each morning these volunteers head out in the city, addressing small gatherings, distributing AAP’s trademark white caps and literature. Response is enthusiastic but it is not clear whether this goodwill will translate into substantial votes. “People wear AAP caps, but they will not wear Kejriwal’s cap,” said a resident.
Meanwhile, at BJP office on Thursday evening, an atmosphere of confidence is unmistakable. A uniformed guard guides visiting cars to an underground parking of this brand-new building in Rathyatra area. Huge photographs of BR Ambedkar, Sardar Vallah Bhai Patel and Modi greet visitors outside a large reception. “Nothing is happening here, we are waiting for Modiji who is expected to reach Varanasi after May 7,” said a BJP worker.
Bobby Naqvi is the Editor of XPRESS, a sister publication of Gulf News.
