Buzz is RSS wants Narendra Modi to contest from Varanasi

Although the BJP has yet to announce Narendra Modi's candidature, his supporters' wish to field him from Varanasi or Lucknow or Kanpur is based on an internal survey that shows an affirmative decision could impact several seats in favour of the party. According to an internal survey conducted by Rameshwar Chaurasia, BJP national secretary and co-in-charge of UP, the party can influence 28 seats in eastern UP and eight in adjoining Bihar, if Modi is fielded from there. Adding to that is the wish of RSS which wants Modi to contest from Varanasi even though sitting MP and party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi has opposed the idea. "We had also thought of fielding Modi from Lucknow, because our former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had represented the seat for five consecutive terms. Lucknow is most sacred constituency for us and we want to send a message in the country that our PM nominee will be as good as Vajpayee.

But since party president Rajnath Singh has already deployed his men to start campaigning for himself from here, we have to wait and watch," said a senior BJP leader who had campaigned to field Modi from Lucknow. Chaurasia had also suggested Kanpur for Modi, essentially because the idea was to project him as 'pro-development'. "Kanpur is the only industrial city of UP. Since development of Gujarat is a major issue for Modi, we think Kanpur can also be a good constituency for him. While some people believe that Union Coal Minister and three-time MP of Kanpur Sriprakash Jaiswal is a strong candidate for Congress, according to our analysis there is huge antiincumbency against him," said close aide of Chaurasia. Meanwhile, Amit Shah, BJP general secretary in-charge of UP said, "We can send a very strong and positive message across by fielding Modi from a seat in UP which is politically the most crucial state." But fearing that the lack of consensus on Modi's candidature from a UP seat could adversely affect the prospects of the party, Shah has now decided to deploy 400 raths that would roll out across the state playing Modi's speeches, and screening documentaries on his life and works. Earlier, Shah had planned 55 raths.

But now the party general secretary has concluded that Modi should be introduced to the people of rural areas of the state more meticulously. "There are a large number of people who have not attended Modi's rallies. So the Modi Raths, equipped with LCD screens, would play his speeches and screen documentaries on his life. These raths will roll out by next week after obtaining permission from the Election Commission," said state BJP president Laxmi Kant Bajpai.