Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President J.P. Nadda, External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal are among the top guns campaigning to ensure that PM Modi wins the seat again by a record margin…reports Asian Lite News
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J.P. Nadda will be in Uttar Pradesh on Monday to campaign for the seventh and the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections. External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar and Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal are already in the state.
The voting in Varanasi will be held in the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1. The counting of the votes will take place on June 4.
The Home Minister is scheduled to hold public meetings in Lok Sabha constituencies Kushinagar at 12:15 p.m., Salempur at 1:45 p.m. and Chandauli at 3:30 p.m. while the BJP chief will attend various programmes in Varanasi.
JP Nadda arrived in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi on Sunday. He is scheduled to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Kaal Bhairava Temple for ‘darshan’. In addition to these visits, Nadda will be participating in several programs today.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, where Nadda will be paying his respects, is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The Kaal Bhairava Temple, another place that Nadda will visit, is a revered place of worship dedicated to Kaal Bhairava, a fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva.
Later, he will address conventions of intellectuals, weavers and artisans at 5:00 p.m., and influential voters at 6:10 p.m.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday exuded confidence in BJP’s victory in Varanasi, saying that much election campaigning was not required here and that the people here were proud of India’s global stature under the leadership of PM Modi.
Jaishankar expressed his observation that the people of the city have exhibited a strong desire to delve into India’s foreign policy, indicating their pride in the country’s trajectory under PM Modi’s governance.
“I have experienced this in this election campaign that people wish to know more about the country’s foreign policy. They feel proud of where PM Modi has taken this country,” Jaishankar said.
He highlighted the Modi government’s tradition of seeking feedback from citizens, reflecting a commitment to participatory governance. “It’s the Modi government’s tradition to ask for feedback from people… We don’t need to do much election campaign here in Varanasi,” he added.
“We celebrated G20 like a festival in about 60 cities across the country… I think tourism will definitely increase here in the coming days… We want to promote Kashi. We want to create its international image,” he also said.
Jaishankar’s schedule in Varanasi included interactions with educators and intellectuals, where he emphasised the pivotal role of education in shaping India’s future.
Modi eyes hat-trick win
Considered a stronghold of Modi since 2014, Varanasi is set for a fierce battle between PM and Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1.
Varanasi is a closely watched constituency in the last phase of the Lok Sabha election, is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, with five assembly segments Rohaniya, Varanasi North, Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt, and Sevapuri.
Ajay Rai from the Congress and Athar Jamal Lari from the Bahujan Samaj Party have filed their nominations against Modi.
Modi filed his nomination papers from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh on May 14. On the nomination day, PM Modi also performed Ganga Aarti, offering prayers to the River Ganga on the auspicious occasion of Ganga Saptami.
After filing the nomination, PM Modi urged the BJP workers to ensure a good voter turnout in his Lok Sabha constituency, Varanasi, which goes to the polls on June 1.
“What truly matters is the voter turnout; it reflects our representation in Kashi. Thus, our resolution should be directed towards booth victory. How do we achieve this? By transforming voting into a celebration of democracy. With 14 days left, let’s turn each polling booth into a festivity. Engage all local societies and neighbourhoods, adorn the booths with Rangoli and other festivities,” PM Modi said while addressing BJP workers at a conference in Varanasi.
Ajay Rai is the president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee and is facing a huge challenge against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is a two-time MP from Varanasi.
Ajai Rai began his political career as a member of the Hindu nationalist outfit Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Rai’s political trajectory saw him win the Kolasla seat in 1996 and secure a ministerial berth in the BSP-BJP alliance government.
However, he parted ways with the BJP in 2007 and joined the Samajwadi Party before eventually aligning with the Congress in 2012.
The UP Congress chief, Rai, was also fielded by the Congress against the PM in Varanasi in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, but he finished third both times.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has fielded Athar Jamal Lari from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. Lari has contested a total of 5 elections in his career, including two Lok Sabha and three Vidhan Sabha elections, but has not registered a single win.