Varanasi town in the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is going to witness one of the most important and high profile contests in 2014 general elections in India, where an intriguing and closely watched contest is shaping up in the ancient, 5000-old sacred city.

“This city is known for Hindu-Muslim brotherhood,” Varanasi’s Mufti Abdul Nomani told OnIslam.net.

“Some people can vote for Modi. But common people here are secular and peace loving.

“They are not going to vote for Modi,” he added

The election mood has been simmering over the past weeks in the crushed, chaotic city alongside the Ganges river.

The batteries for elections were charged after Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) decided to field their prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from Varanasi.

For years, the city has been dominated by BJP candidates, who secured five on the last six votes.

The sitting MP Murli Manohar Joshi, a senior BJP member, was persuaded to give up his seat for the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

Modi’s choice of Varanasi, deemed as the religious capital of India, was intended to associate himself with the city’s venerable Hindu tradition and boost his party’s chances in other seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Twelve years on Gujarat massacre, in which more than 2,000 Muslims were hacked and burnt to death by Hindu mobs, the rift was still wide between Modi and India Muslims who blamed his and his aides of fanning one of the worst instances of sectarian violence in India.

Along with Modi, Former chief minister of Delhi and Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal announced his will to run in Varanasi during a rally last Tuesday.

The Congress too was leaving no stone unturned to woo voters in Varanasi.

Although the Congress is yet to finalize its candidate, rumors have spread that the secular party may field Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh from Varanasi.

Tactical Vote

In this year’s election, to run from April 7 to May 12, a huge number Muslim voters in Varanasi made it difficult to guess which way these votes will go considering possible polarization.

“We know Narendra Modi because of Gujarat,” said Mohammed Yasin, joint secretary of Anjuman Intezamiya Masjid (mosque) of Varanasi.

“He claims he has done a lot of development work in Gujarat state. But it is a reality that hundreds of Muslims were massacred under his watch in Gujarat.”

Zia-ur-rehman, a local resident of Varanasi, told Onislam.net, “If no Muslim enters election fray, then the Muslim votes will go to Congress because Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate looks weak.”

Mukhtar Ansari, who will contest from Quami Ekta Dal (QED) ticket, was unlikely to get Muslims’ vote.

Ansari contested the 2009 general elections on a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) ticket and fell just 17,000 votes short of becoming Varanasi’s member of parliament.

Another local Mohammed Waqar said that polarization on the basis of religion has already begun in Varanasi.

“About 60 to 70 percent Hindus will vote for Narendra Modi and Muslims will vote for Congress or a strong candidate of any other party,” Waqar said.

“About 5-6 thousand Shia Muslims could vote for Narendra Modi,” he added.

He also said that if Kejriwal contests from Varanasi then Muslims will support him.

“Kejriwal is not in favor of politics on the basis of caste or religion, but he will focus on the development of Varanasi,” Waqar added.

Same opinion was shared by Varanasi Mufti Nomani who said that “He [Kejriwal] could be acceptable to Muslims.”

Among the candidates in fray so far, Modi and Samajwadi Party’s Kailash Chourasia are regarded as outsiders.

Modi belongs to distant Gujarat state, while Chourasia belongs to nearby Mirzapur district.

So far, Bahuajan Samaj Party’s Vijay Prakash Chourasia is the lone local candidate in Varanasi.

“We’re fed up of outside candidates,” Banaras Brahmin Samaj (Varanasi Brahmin Community) president Colonel Ranjeet Upadhyaya said.

The anger against outside candidate is so much that Upadhyaya is of the view that Varanasi is not safe seat for Modi.

“Varanasi is not the safe seat”, he said.

“Locals are waiting for the Congress to announce its candidate.”

Waiting for the final list of candidates, it seemed far more difficult for any outsider who wishes to run in Varanasi to win voters’ support.

“Muslims are waiting for the finalization of the names of all candidates who will contest from here,” Akbar, a local Muslim resident from Varanasi, told OnIslam.net.

“They’ll vote in favor of the strongest candidate they feel is capable of defeating Narendra Modi.”

http://www.onislam.net/english/news/asia-pacific/470689-election-battles-rage-in-indias-varanasi.html

http://97.105.52.213/en/artical/17372/Election-Battles-Rage-Indias-Varanasi