The saffron bastion of Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of prime minister Narendra Modi, which will go the polls in the last phase of polling on March 7, is likely to face a major push from the Samajwadi Party-led alliance to take on the BJP, many of whose senior leaders had also thronged the temple town to garner support and help the party retain its hold on their fort.
On Thursday, almost the entire top leadership of the SP-led alliance, including SP president Akhilesh Yadav, his one time estranged uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, was present at an election rally in Varanasi, which was also addressed by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.
According to SP sources, the party had changed its strategy for the final phase of the polling and had decided to deploy leaders from various non-Yadav OBC castes to reach out to the electorate from their respective communities and solicit their support for the alliance.
Sources said that senior SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya, who was in the fray from Fazil Nagar seat, where the polling concluded on Thursday, and Sanjay Chauhan of Janvadi Party, who wielded considerable influence over the 'Chauhan' community, had been entrusted with the task of campaigning among their respective communities in Varanasi and other seats in the region.
'These leaders will be provided choppers for campaigning so that they may cover a large number of constituencies before the campaigning comes to an end on Saturday evening,'' said a senior SP leader while speaking to DH here.
Om Prakash Rajbhar, whose party enjoys considerable support among the electorally crucial 'Rajbhar' (an OBC) community, which can influence the outcome of the polls on over a dozen seats in the eastern UP region, especially in Varanasi and its adjoining districts, would also be campaigning by chopper, the SP leader added.
Akhilesh's one time estranged uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, who has buried the hatchet with the former, will be camping in Varanasi till the polling. Shivpal, who was among the founders of the SP, is known for his organisational skills and he has been tasked with formulation of strategies for the final phase of the polling.
Apparently anticipating a push by the SP-led alliance, the BJP has also dispatched its senior leaders to Varanasi to campaign in the last phase. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be camping in Varanasi for two days from Friday while Union Home Minister Amit Shah was already here and has been holding meetings with the local party leaders.
UP CM Yogi Adityanath and state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh, union ministers Anurag Thakur and Smriti Irani will also be in Varanasi and address election meetings in different parts of the region.
Polling on 54 assembly seats in Varanasi., Azamgarh, Mau, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Mirzapur, Sonebhadra and Bhadohi will be held on March 7.
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