Politicians throng Varanasi for final battle in Uttar Pradesh

With barely two days to go for the seventh and last phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, top leaders from almost all the major players thronged Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for campaigning, which would end on Saturday evening.

Modi, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav and his alliance partners Om Prakash Rajbhar and Sanjay Chauhan, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were all in Varanasi on Friday and addressed public meetings or held roadshows to garner support for the candidates of their respective parties.

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Modi, who addressed an election rally at Mirzapur, held an impressive roadshow in his LS constituency later in the day. Modi began his roadshow after garlanding the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and traversed through Maidagin, Kabirchaura, Lahurabir, Nichi Bagh before ending in Cantt. the prime minister covered a distance of more than three kilometres during his roadshow.

People turned out in large numbers on the roads as BJP workers shouted 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Har Har Mahadev' while flower petals were showered on the Prime Minister from the rooftops along the route. Modi later visited the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple and paid obeisance there.

The Prime Minister will be spending the night in Varanasi and addressing an election rally on the last day of campaigning on Saturday. He will also be holding strategy sessions with the local leaders in Varanasi.

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"This phase is crucial for us as there is a possibility that we may not have done as expected in the first three phases, especially in the Jat dominated western UP region....prime minister's presence will motivate the party workers," said a senior BJP leader here while speaking to DH.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who also addressed a series of election rallies in the region, was likely to arrive in the town later in the evening to take part in strategy sessions with PM and other party leaders.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also held a joint roadshow in Varanasi on Friday. They were accompanied by Om Prakash Rajbhar, the president of Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), his alliance partner, and other senior SP leaders. Mamata, who was scheduled to leave for Kolkata on Thursday evening after addressing the election meeting with Akhilesh, extended her stay by a day for the roadshow.

Rahul and Priyanka, who paid obeisance at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple earlier in the day, addressed an election rally at Pindra in Varanasi. Priyanka has been camping at the Kabirchaura Mutt in the town for the past two days and holding meetings with local party leaders and workers.

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