One may call it the voice of their inner conscience, others may assume it to be professional obligation but the Jharkhand BJP leaders have started flocking at Varanasi to garner support for their prime ministerial candidate by mobilising their brethrens of the Purvanchal. The leaders will go the people with “Modi do, desh bachao (Bring Modi to save nation)” slogan.
While a delegation of State BJP leaders is already camping at Varanasi, another team headed by State president Ravindra Rai will leave for the parliamentary constituency today to seek support for BJP candidates in eastern Uttar Pradesh. President of Banaras Yuva Morcha Manish Kumar Singh would arrange for the programme of Rai there.
Rai, who is set to begin his six-day mission on Sunday with five others, said that he and his team would be interacting with residents of over 40 villages in Varanasi between May 4 and May 10. “We have a prescheduled programme to meet the villagers in Varanasi. The team members with me are those who have Purvanchal connection including NK Roy from Bokaro and others,” said Rai.
On being asked whether the campaigning will be focussed in Varanasi only, Rai said the campaigning teams were assigned their areas. “We will campaign in Varanasi and also try to meet people of the neighbouring Gazipur, where Manoj Tiwari is contesting. I have worked there as Election In-charge in 92-93 so I am connected with people there,” he said.
Rai said that the decision of campaigning for Modi was taken at both central and local levels and apart from Varanasi, members of State BJP were also camping in West Bengal. They were also sending regular feedback from Bengal, he added.
Former CM and leader of Opposition in Jharkhand Assembly also hailed the move and said that it was necessary to get in touch with people in the bordering areas of the State. “The purvanchal area borders with Jharkhand. The campaigning is focussed to mobilise people in the bordering areas especially because the polling date is the same for many seats of the region. Senior leaders of the state may also visit Varanasi before the polls,” said Munda.
State BJP leader Prem Mittal further informed that another team from Jharkhand will leave for eastern UP on May 7. “It has been decided that the team from the State will campaign in the region keeping Varansai as centre. They will use their regional connections and expertise for the purpose. The team moving on Sunday will have members from Bokaro, Tilaiya and Hazaribagh,” Mittal said.
Significantly, the Purvanchal region resembles to western Bihar and Jharkhand both linguistically and culturally. The demography of the region also constitutes a large number of people coming from dominant castes and communities of Jharkhand and Bihar.