Signalling his resolve to revive the party in politically important Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to retain his Varanasi Lok Sabha seat and vacated the Vadodara seat he had won with a huge 5.7 lakh vote margin.
“Resigned from Vadodara LS seat. Due to people’s affection got elected by a historic margin. Will always remain grateful to people of Vadodara,” Narendra Modi tweeted.
Announcing that he will represent Varanasi n the Lok Sabha, Modi also tweeted that he looks “forward to this wonderful opportunity to serve Ganga Maa & work for Varanasi’s development”. His decision confirmed what BJP leaders have been indicating all along: That he will opt for the holy city seat of the state which has given many prime ministers, including BJP’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Modi sent in his resignation as Vadodara MP to the Lok Sabha Speaker’s office on Thursday. An MP has to resign within a fortnight of declaration of results to conform to an EC guideline.
Apart from Modi, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had also successfully contested from two constituencies of UP, has relinquished his family seat of Mainpuri to retain Azamgarh.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks