Modi Varanasi Roadshow highlights: The temple town of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh turned saffron with lakhs of people converging all along the route of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mega roadshow. PM Modi landed inside the BHU campus straight from Banda where he addressed an election rally. He then garlanded the statue of Madan Mohan Malviya right outside the main entrance of the BHU to kickstart his 6-km-long roadshow.
Lok Sabha Election 2019: Full Coverage
PM Modi will file his nomination from Varanasi on April 26, Friday. In 2014, Narendra Modi had defeated his closest rival Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal by nearly three lakh votes and the BJP would want him to repeat the success this time too. Voting in Varanasi is scheduled to be held in the last of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on May 19.
As per a press release issued by the BJP, top leaders from alliance parties will be present in Varanasi during his nomination program on Friday. Akali Dal’s senior leader and former Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal, Bihar Chief Minister and JDU chief Nitish Kumar, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan will attend the event apart from several other leaders in what is being seen as a show strength.
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After his roadshow, PM Modi participated in the Ganga Aarti at the Dashashwamedh Ghat on Thursday. He will then have a conversation with eminent personalities of Varanasi at Hotel De Paris.
The Congress on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi was aimed at covering up his failure of fulfilling his promises made to the people there and demanded that he should apologise for ‘betraying’ them.
“Optics are more important than results and that is why the roadshow is being taken out as the resolve of serving the people of Varanasi that Modi ji had taken, the commitment he had shown to purify Ganga Ma, he has been completely unsuccessful in that,” Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak said.
Modi is scheduled to perform the ‘Ganga aarti’ at the Dashashwamedh Ghat on Thursday evening. Modi started his seven-kilometer roadshow by first garlanding the statue of Banaras Hindu University founder Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.
As thousands lined up along the route of Modi’s roadshow in Varanasi to get a glimpse of their MP, the prime minister tweeted to thank people of the city for the warm welcome. “Grateful for the warmth and affection,” PM Modi tweeted.
PM Modi’s roadshow has coloured Varanasi saffron. The temple city of Uttar Pradesh is considered to BJP’s citadel. In 2009, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi had won from Varanasi getting 203122 votes. Ajay Rai, who had contested on Samajwadi Party ticket was on the third spot with 123826 votes.
As Modi’s cavalcade proceeds towards Assi Ghat, crowds shower rose petals on PM. Varanasi parliamentary constituency has five Assembly seats – Rohaniya, Sevapuri, Varanasi Cantonment, Varanasi North and Varanasi South. The BJP has three, its ally Apna Dal and Samajwadi Party have one Assembly seat each in Varanasi.
In 2014, Modi had got 581022 votes in Varanasi. Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal was the first runner up with 209238 votes. Congress candidate Ajay Rai, who is contesting this time too, was placed third with 75614 votes.
Roads of Varanasi have turned saffron with lakhs of people converging all along the route of PM Modi’s roadshow. PM Modi can be seen waving at the enthusiastic crowd as his cavalcade passes slowly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his mega roadshow in Varanasi by garlanding the statue of Madan Mohan Malviya right opposite the main entrance of the Banaras Hindu University. WATCH LIVE HERE
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived on Varanasi for his roadshow. Modi’s 6-km-long roadshow will conclude at Dashashwamedh Ghat where he will participate in Ganga aarti.
Moments before starting his mega roadshow in Varanasi, PM Modi tweets to say that he is looking forward to interact with ‘sisters and brothers of Kashi’.
Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Piyush Goyal, BJP president Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath will be attending PM Modi’s roadshow in Varanasi which will start in a short while from now.
People have started pouring in along the route of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mega roadshow in Varanasi. Despite intense heat, there’s locals BJP supporters and locals have come out in large numbers to get a glimpse of PM Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to address a rally at Maharashtra’s Bandra-Kurla Complex on Friday evening. Voting will take place on April 29, 2019.
Speaking at a rally in Banda on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at opposition and said that they will keep abusing EVMs from now. The Prime Minister also said that the opposition has a long face after three phases of voting and they now the outcome.
Hitting out at PM Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that PM Modi has done injustice to the countrymen in the last five years. The congress chief also added that slogans like ‘acche din ayenge’ has been replaced by ‘chowkidar chor hai’.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi is holding a roadshow in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The Congress has named Ajay Rai as its candidate from Varanasi against PM Narendra Modi. There were speculations that Priyanka may contest Lok Sabha election from Varanasi seat.
Ending days of speculations, the Congress has declared its Varanasi candiidate against Narendra Modi. Congress has fielded Ajay Rai from the seat, reports news agency ANI. Earlier, there were reports that Priyanka Gandhi may contest Lok Sabha election from Varanasi against PM Modi. Read full story here
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address an election rally in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh on May 1. Voting in Ayodhya is scheduled to be held on May 6.
People who are contesting only 40, 20 or even eight seats are standing in the queue waiting for their turn to become the prime minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says in Darbhanga rally.
Some people have a problem with Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Vande Mataram, should such people lose their deposits or not? These are same people who complain when I talk about Bharat. They also say ‘why is Modi talking about terrorism, it is not an issue, PM Modi says Darbhanga.
This is new India will, it won’t hesitate to carry out operations inside the territory from where terror originates. For Mahamilavati people, terror may not be an issue, but for New India it is one of the biggest issues, says PM Modi in Darbhanga
Addressing a rally in Bihar’s Darbhanga, PM Modi slammed the Opposition over the issue of terror. “We have terror factories in our neighbourhood, and they (Opposition) say terror is not an issue,” PM Modi said.
As PM Narendra Modi prepares to file his nomination from Varanasi, there is a strong buzz that the Congress is readying to field Priyanka Gandhi Vadra against him. “If party president asks me to contest, I will,” Priyanka had told journalists recently responding to questions on her contesting from Varanasi
Bahujan Samaj Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati has accused PM Modi of being arrogant. In a series of tweets, also raised questions over the Election Commission and said Modi is moving freely despite facing numerous serious allegations of Model Code of Conduct violation.
Security has been tightened across Varanasi for PM Modi’s mega roadshow today. Hundreds of security personnel have been deployed along the route of the roadshow and other parts of city. The local police have also deployed drones to keep watch on suspicious activities.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a packed schedule for the next couple of days. Apart from his roadshow and nomination in Varanasi, PM Modi will also be addressing a series of rallies in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Before landing in Varanasi for the roadshow, PM Modi will address rallies in Darbhanga in Bihar and Banda in Uttar Pradesh. After filing his nomination from Varanasi on Friday, April 26, Modi will fly to Madhya Pradesh to hold election rallies in Sidhi and Jabalpur. Later in the evening, he will be in Mumbai.
Leaders from top NDA partners and Union Ministers are expected to be in Varanasi for PM Narendra Modi’s nomination on Friday. Home Minister Rajnath Singh Bihar Chief Minister and JDU chief Nitish Kumar, Akali Dal’s senior leader and former Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and others will be present in Varanasi.
Narendra Modi had created a record by defeating his nearest rival Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal by over three lakh votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. He also won from Vadodara, Gujarat.
After the roadshow, PM Modi is scheduled to participate in the famous Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat later in the evening today. He will also take part in several interaction events after the Ganga aarti.
PM Modi will hold a mega 10-km-long roadshow in Varanasi which is expected to be attended by lakhs of people. The roadshow will start from Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya’s statue and end at Dashashwamedh Ghat.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be arriving on a whirlwind two-day visit to his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi from today. PM Modi will roadshow on Thursday and file his nomination from Varanasi on Friday.