After batting on their home turf in three phased parliamentary polls, host of leaders of the BJP and the Congress have left for Varanasi to score more. The leaders and cadres of both the parties would focus on people from the State residing in the high profile constituency and who are enrolled as voters.
The Congress has dispatched a three member team that is campaigning in the historic city to work at grass root level for Ajay Rai, the party’s nominee against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. “We are working to make the people belonging to Jharkhand aware about difference between outsider and insider. We are also working in minority dominant areas which was trifurcating earlier,” said Vinanjay Bharti, who has been associated with NSUI, Youth Congress and associated with team of Manish Tewari in Delhi.
Bharti claimed that their efforts had started turning tide in the favour of the Congress. “We have conducted door to door consultations. There are about 2.5 lakh votes of minority which earlier were getting distributed among the Congress, AAP and also the BJP. But the scenario has changed drastically,” added Bharti.
Varanasi has handsome percentage of purvanchalis associated with Bihar and Jharkhand. It is considered that good homework on this seat may benefits contesting parties on four-five other lok Sabha seats adjoining the holy city. The Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee has also tasked Yugal Pandey and Amrender Singh to work in one of the most high profile constituencies of the country.
The BJP has also carved out a team of 22 persons who would be working in as many as seven parliamentary constituencies around Varanasi.
“We are consulting voters with Jharkhand and Bihar connection and working to activate party’s booth level committees. The party has a strong organisational setup in place and most of us are from organisation. This will surely help in projecting Narendra Modi’s idea of development and nation building,” said Jharkhand BJP’s vice-president Anant Ojha who besides taking care of Modi’s constituency is also working in Chandauli and few others.
Ojha said that the team of BJP leaders from the State were spread in 12 lok Sabha seats of UP and to remain there till couple of days ahead of the May 12 poll. Apart from working at organisational level, they have adopted personal level consultations eyeing to mobilise voters with some connection with their home ground. Another big name from the BJP campaigning in UP is Balmukund Sahay who has been assigned with Soanbhadra district neighbouring Varanasi.
“I am leaving for Soanbhadra where lots of settlers from Jharkhand are the voters. Besides, we have some personal contacts that can help in bringing votes to the party’s favour. We are working at the organisational part as well,” said Sahay.