A day after the massive show of strength by BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Varanasi, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal took out an impressive roadshow here on Friday evening.
Standing in open SUVs, Kejriwal and top party leaders drove through the city courting voters as AAP supporters in white caps waved brooms, the party’s poll symbol, and white flags.
The procession passed through busy roads leading to heavy traffic jams. It took several hours for Kejriwal to reach the culminating site at lahurabir. With just one more day left for the campaigning, there would be two roadshows on Saturday. First, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi would drive through the holy city seeking votes for party candidate Ajay Rai and then Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav would carry out a similar roadshow.
“Modi will lose. He does not have time to meet people. He is bribing everyone in his favour but truth will win,” Kejriwal told reporters on the sidelines of his 7.5-km journey from the city’s Malviya Gate to lahurabir Chowk.
Kejriwal garlanded the statue of BHU’s founder Pt Madan Mohan Malviya before starting his roadshow an hour late than the scheduled time. As thousands of AAP supporters and bystanders flocked to greet Kejriwal, security personnel had a tough time in dealing with the situation.
Kejriwal said he was confident about his victory with a “huge majority” and accused the BJP of trying every tactic, including communal and caste politics, as well as “violence and bribing media”.
The AAP leader, who is pitted against Modi from Varanasi parliamentary constituency, said, “People in Varanasi say how a person who comes in a helicopter for only two hours to campaign, will serve us.” After passing through lanka, Sant Ravidas Gate, Assi, Bhadhaini, Shivala, Sonarpura, Madanoura, Jangambadi Math, the roadshow reached Godowlia crossing, and then passing through Nai Sarak, Chetganj arrived at lahurabir Chowk.
Top party leaders — including Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Bollywood star Javed Jaffrey, former BHU students union president Shiv Kumar Singh and over a dozen other popular faces of the party — were present. In some area, hundreds of people were seen standing on the rooftops. Earlier, Kejriwal visited Sri Vidya Math at Kedar Ghat to seek blessing from Swami Avimukteshwaranand.