Narendra Modi waves to his supporters as he arrives to file his nomination papers in the northern city of Varanasi yesterday.

Agencies/Varanasi


Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi yesterday said he was “overwhelmed” by a huge show of support in Varanasi as he entered the contest to become the holy city’s member of parliament.
The streets of the ancient city on the banks of the river Ganges were flooded by people keen to greet or at least glimpse the Gujarat chief minister as he came to file his nomination papers.
“I feel overwhelmed by the love the people of Kashi (the ancient name of Varanasi) have shown me and I bow to this land and its traditions,” said the 63-year-old at the nomination centre.
“It feels like Mother Ganga has called me here. The way a son goes back to his mother’s lap, that’s how I feel today.”
India’s multi-phase general election began on April 7 but does not wrap up until May 12 when Varanasi and a host of other constituencies in Uttar Pradesh go to the polls.
The contest in Varanasi is the most keenly watched of the election as Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the fledgling anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party, is also standing.
Modi has largely steered clear of advancing his party’s Hindu nationalist agenda on the campaign trail, presenting himself as an economic reformer and sound administrator.
But analysts say his decision to run from the sacred city of Varanasi is an effective way of burnishing his Hindu credentials.
He remains a deeply controversial figure for many Indians after more than 1,000 people - mainly Muslims - lost their lives in riots in Gujarat in 2002 shortly after he came to power.
With a sizeable Muslim community and multiple Hindu castes, the city and surrounding region will test whether he can rise above divisions that have held back his party in the past.
In a nod to that challenge, and to blunt criticism that his politics favours only upper-caste Hindus, Modi made conciliatory comments towards other religions and took a lower-caste Ganges boatman with him to register as a candidate.
Dressed all in white, he was flanked by his top aide Amit Shah, who was briefly banned from campaigning for inflammatory comments he made this month in an area hit by anti-Muslim riots last year.
The streets were a sea of saffron, the BJP’s colour, with the mainly male crowd decked out in BJP caps or carrying party flags.
“This (Modi) wave has been turned into a tsunami by Modi’s supporters and this wave will wipe out” the BJP’s rivals in Uttar Pradesh, Shah told reporters.
Polls show the BJP and its allies are likely to oust the ruling Congress Party from power after results are announced on May 16, but will likely fall short of an outright majority.
Analysts say Modi is likely to win comfortably in Varanasi despite the competition from Kejriwal.
“The support he is getting is unprecedented, it will make history,” said Pratik Gupta, a trader wearing a “Modi for PM” cap.
One in six of Varanasi’s voters are Muslim, and many say they will support Kejriwal, who filed his nomination on Wednesday.
“Modi is a very bad man, we don’t like him and he will destroy the country,” said Fayaz Ahmad, watching Kejriwal drive by atop a black jeep. Kejriwal led the state government in Delhi briefly after a stunning electoral debut late last year.
Modi’s decision to contest from Varanasi was partly aimed at shoring up the BJP’s support in the east of Uttar Pradesh, a state with a population larger than Brazil that sends the largest number of members to parliament.
Caste remains a potent force in Indian politics and society and people often vote for candidates from their own community. That is particularly true in poorer northern states where lower-caste movements have dominated electoral politics for a generation.
Modi’s promises of strong governance and jobs have won him supporters across large swathes of India, even among lower castes traditionally hostile to the party.
But analysts caution that voting along caste lines remains strong in rural Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring Bihar, and - taking no chances - the BJP has joined hands with Apna Dal, which represents a low caste of farmers in the Varanasi region.
“The caste system is not going away, it has been there for 3,000 years,” said Dipak Malik, director of the Gandhian Institute of Studies in Varanasi. “If Mahatma Gandhi could not get rid of it, neither will Modi.”    
He is also contesting from Vadodara  in Gujarat but he is not expected to take up that seat if he wins both.





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