GENERAL ELECTIONS 2014
The last day of campaigning for the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections in Varanasi
saw three road-shows apart from the routine political events.
Candidates from other parties (than Congress, BJP and AAP)
continued with their campaign. 42 candidates are in fray including Kailash
Chaurasia from the Samajwadi Paty and Vijay Jaiswal from the Bahujan Samaj
Party. Though insignificant for the outcome, it was good for the SP candidate’s
morale that he had road-show by Akhilesh Yadav on the last day of campaigning.
On follow-up developments, the BJP pitched up its rhetoric
against the Election Commission and the Varanasi
district administration for allowing rallies of Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav
to pass through Beniabagh while denying Modi for the same.
Before it, the Election Commission appointed a special
poll observer for Varanasi.
The move is being seen as resulting from the pressure mounted by the BJP
coupled with the Election Commissioner HS Brahma’s stand criticising the
Election Commission on the issue of denial of permission to Modi’s election rallies
in Varanasi on
May 8. The EC raid on the BJP’s office in Varanasi
today only added to the bitterness.
On road-shows, the day began with Rahul Gandhi’s road-show
that was less of a solidarity show for the Congress candidate from Varanasi, Ajai Rai, and
more of a tit-for-tat reply to Narendra Modi’s election rally in Amethi that
saw a huge gathering.
On campaigning parameters, Rahul’s road-show was
successful as was Akhilesh Yadav’s later in day and Kejriwal’s a day earlier. Both
road-shows of the day were strategically planned to supply the supporters to
the rallies from the different densely populated Muslim localities en-route.
And this strategy coupled with the local support of Ajai
Rai and the Samajwadi Party did work to gather enough momentum to bring enough
people to the two road-shows though some reports say Muslims did not
enthusiastically participated in Akhilesh Yadav’s road-show (advantage
Kejriwal?).
Then AAP held another road-show in the later half of the
day which Arvind Kejriwal could not join due to bad health. Kejriwal did hold
an election meeting in the Pandeypur area of the city in the first half of the
day.
But, in totality, these road-shows were no match to Modi’s
massive show of strength in his road-show on May 8. As even the road-show had
no permission, he is now facing allegations of violating the Section 144.
The last day of campaigning for the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections in Varanasi concluded with events adding
to the high voltage political drama that started unveiling in the religious and
spiritual capital of India
on May 5 when Narendra Modi held an election rally in Amethi.