Unfazed by AAP’s intimidation to field Arvind Kejriwal and in-house resistance from Murli Manohar Joshi’s camp, BJP is to be expected to settle on Varanasi as the second Lok Sabha constituency for its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
“Take it as almost a done deal,” said a senior party leader when asked about the prospect of Modi decided on Varanasi as a battle ground after a constituency in Gujarat.
The declaration takes on significance in view of the fact that AAP’s reported plan to pit Kejriwal against Modi if he chooses to contest from anywhere outside Gujarat, as well as clear indications suggesting that cohorts of Joshi — who is the sitting Varanasi MP — would want the saffron veteran to stay put.
According to sources, Joshi may be persuaded to shift to Kanpur in case Modi is chosen as his replacement in Varanasi.