Flanked by the Varuna river on one side and famous Assi ghat near river Ganga on the other, the holy city of Benaras has been soaked in a lot of political attention ever since BJP's PM nominee and now the Prime minister, Narendra Modi chose to contest the general elections from here in 2014.
What Varanasi achieved with Modi as its MP is a keenly debated topic among the locals. But promises of the city becoming like Kyoto is still a distant dream. Honestly, not many Banarasis want it that way.
With Modi magic undoubtedly waning a bit over the past 2 years of BJP rule, it gives enough room for the Opposition to move in and challenge him from his own constituency of Varanasi.Also Read: Sonia Gandhi Attempts Congress Course-Correction in Modi's Varanasi
Slowly rising out of humiliation of a near clear rout in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the grand old Congress party is now gearing up for a fresh battle.
In its 'Long March' to regain the lost rule in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party first aspires for a come back in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.
And it's there in this scheme of things that Varanasi becomes important, not just for throwing an open challenge to PM Modi but also for a subtle message on soft Hindutva.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi's initial plan to visit the famous Kashi Viswanath temple, for the first time in years, or Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi earlier visit to Kedarnath are all part of that strategy.Also read: Unwell Sonia Gandhi Aborts Varanasi Roadshow, Promises to Return Soon
Congress' state spokesperson, and a proud Banarsi, Kamlakar Tripathi, however, rejects suggestions that it is a strategic Hindu outreach and terms it all as part of party's faith in 'Sarva dharm Sambhav'. He is quick to point out that Congress leaders also visit sufi shrines, mosques and churches.
Sources say the idea of kick-starting the campaign from UP was first floated by party's newly hired strategist Prashant Kishor and every move of the Congress party seems to have been pulled out of PM Modi's Book of Tactics.
So when Sonia first paid homage to Dr. Ambedkar before starting her road show, and planned to end her Varanasi trip with the visit to Kashi Vishwanath temple, many were easily reminded of PM Modi's style of campaigning.
At the end of the day Sonia might have been restrained from visiting the temple because of illness and left the job to be finished by the party's CM face Sheila Dikshit and UP election chief Raj Babbar.
Varanasi-based senior journalist DP Tiwari says that Congress party with help of Prashant Kishor is probably trying to counter BJP by subtly adopting strategies mastered by Prime minister Modi.
For the party which was considered nowhere in the battle of Uttar Pradesh by every political pundit just till a couple of months back, there has definitely been a turnaround.
Right from roping in Prashant Kishor as a strategist to playing the Brahmin card by making Sheile Dikshit a CM face, there is a new found buzz around the party.
Huge turnouts, first in Rahul's show in Lucknow on July 29 and then at Sonia's road show in Varanasi, have clearly given party leaders a reason to smile.
Question is will the new-found enthusiasm lead the Congress in making deeper inroads in the state. While Congress leaders are upbeat, arch rival BJP is quick to dismiss the challenge.
BJP's state spokesperson Dr. Chandramohan terms it a 'created enthusiasm with workers being brought in for Sonia's roadshow from as far as Bihar.
"A exercise in desperation which wil not result in votes," Chandramohan added.
Only UP knows what is in store for the Congress
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