Stars descend on Varanasi for super Saturday

The city of gods is gearing up for a grand finale. While the North Purvanchal constituencies go to the polls in the sixth phase on Saturday, all roads lead to Varanasi, which will push the button on Wednesday.
 
The big four — Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BSP chief Mayawati, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi — the top leaders of the three key political formations in the state will be vying to have the last word over the city’s electorate. They will bring along their entourage of senior party leaders, ministers and officials. A lot of them are already camping in the city.
 
In fact, there was a behind-the-scenes sparring of sorts between the electoral managers of these parties on who would have the last word. With no clear leader emerging in the first six phases, the last bait for fence sitters has become even more crucial as the remaining 40 constituencies spread across eight districts, could be the game changer. Over 500 candidates are in the fray. ALSO READ: LIVE Battle in Varanasi: At PM's roadshow, supporters chant 'Har har Modi'
 
The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance was initially to hold a joint Akhilesh-Rahul rally in the beginning of the week. But with BJP sources suggesting Modi would be holding a rally on Friday, the plan got postponed. Eventually, all of them seem to have zeroed in on Saturday.
 
Rahul held a rally in Pindra, some 20 km from here, in support of Congress candidate Ajay Rai, who had lost to Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
 
Modi has a packed Saturday,  starting with a morning roadshow beginning from Banaras Hindu University passing through the old city area on the way to seeking blessings at Kashi Vishwanath and Kal Bhairav temples and a public meeting later in the city’s south constituency, where first-timer Neelkanth Tiwari, an advocate, is pitted against Congress veteran Rajesh Mishra, a former Varanasi MP.
 
BSP’s Pramod Kumar Singh is expecting a big boost,  as his party leader Mayawati is expected to address his constituency, Rohaniya. He is up against Mahendra Singh Patel, the sitting MLA from SP. BJP’s Surendra Narayan Singh is also in the fray here.
 
The highlight of the day is expected to be a massive 13-km rally planned by the Samajwadi Party-Congress,  where Akhilesh and Rahul will train their guns on Modi.
 
However, it looks like the BJP leader, who is seen smiling from big hoardings across the city with the slogan “Na goondaraj, na brashtachar, aao banayein BJP sarkar (No rowdyism, no corruption, let us form a BJP government)”. It also seems that this phase is for BJP’s to lose, as there is a feeling among the city crowd that Modi’s best efforts here are being scuttled by a non-cooperative state government.
 
But, the alliance is trying to steal the plank of “pragati” with its “kaam bolta hai” jingle, highlighting programme’s and promises. They are also likely to pit Akhilesh’s youthful leadership against the lack of local leadership to match in the BJP camp.
 
Mayawati need not do much to win her core votes, but is likely to launch one final assault on note ban, Modi and BJP leader Amit Shah that she feels would endear her to the considerable Muslim electorate she has been courting. Expect the donkey stories, the acronym series and Ajmal Kasab, which have been the key contributors in the two-month campaign to the public discourse, to resurface.
 
The prime minister and his entourage will have all of Sunday to give back in kind. And, there will be time for repartees and counter jibes on Monday, when the campaign draws to a close.