PM’S ROADSHOW IN LAST LAP OF POLLS
LAST LAP With PM Modi already in Varanasi, Akhilesh and Rahul too focus in the same region
The campaigning for the seventh and final phase of the UP polls reached fever pitch on Sunday, with PM Narendra Modi resuming his roadshow in his constituency, Varanasi. Claiming that the Opposition had ignored Kashi, he promised to turn it into a worldclass metropolis.
: Campaigning for the seventh and final phase of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on March 8 reached fever pitch on Sunday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi remaining the focal point in the endgame.
Modi has been camping in the ancient city for three days — from morning till night — and will stay overnight in Varanasi.
Originally, campaigning was to end on Monday, but in Alapur, where BJP president Amit Shah held a rally on Sunday, it will end on Tuesday.
Voting in Alapur constituency, which would have gone to polls in the fifth phase, was moved to March 9 following the death of a candidate.
Addressing a public meeting in his parliamentary constituency, Modi said the SP and the BSP are two sides of the same coin with the former being A (Akhilesh) SP and B (Bahujan) SP.
Continuing his tirade against Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance, Modi said, “While Akhilesh has inherited his political powers from his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Rahul has got it from so many of his forefathers. But I haven’t got anything in inheritance. Therefore, I understand the pain of the poor. I can take hard decisions to rid the country of its problems. We want to do away with all kinds of problems that are dogging the poor,” Modi said.
The prime minister also said that he wanted to bring development in Purvanchal. “I have a clear vision for how to develop Purvanchal in terms of transport, industries, houses, etc. The region has immense potential. It is full of natural resources. What it lacks is a good
VOTING IN ALAPUR CONSTITUENCY, WHICH WOULD HAVE GONE TO POLLS IN THE FIFTH PHASE, WAS MOVED TO MARCH 9 AFTER THE DEATH OF A CANDIDATE
government.”
“Progress is the answer. Progress is the way to employ our youth. Progress is how poor parents can educate and give their children a better life,” he said.
With Modi already blowing the poll bugle, Akhilesh and Rahul, too have concentrated their campaign in Varanasi.
Akhilesh targeted Modi’s road shows in the state at one of his rallies, saying, “Who takes a retest? One who fails the first time. Modi ji’s first road show failed, so he is taking out another road show. The second too will fail and then he will take out one more.”
Around the same time, Shah mocked Akhilesh at a rally in Alapur over the rape allegation against Samajwadi Party minister Gayatri Prajapati.
“The chief minister says he has asked the rape accused Prajapati to surrender. Come on, a chief minister is not supposed to ask someone to surrender, his job is to get him arrested. Never mind, when we make the government after March 11, we will drag Gayatri out even if he is hiding in the netherworld.”
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati dealt with the final phase of campaigning much the way she dealt with the preceding six — at her own pace.
She ended the 2017 poll campaign with a Varanasi rally on Saturday and did not address any rallies Sunday and is not expected to do so on Monday either.
In her parting shot in Varanasi, Mayawati said, “All the temple-going of Modi and Akhilesh won’t work.”
Modi had a road show and a rally each on Saturday and Sunday in Varanasi. He also had a rally in Jaunpur on Saturday and is scheduled to address one in Rohaniya on Monday.
Rahul and Akhilesh are slated to address a joint press conference in Varanasi on Monday.
Both pursued a hectic rally schedule on Sunday. Akhilesh had seven rallies in Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, and Chandauli, while Rahul had three in Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, and Jaunpur.
The final phase of voting has the least number of constituencies among phases — 40 seats across seven districts.