Assembly elections in polls

Modi battles for hearts, minds

Varanasi boat owner Prabhu Sahani backed Narendra Modi as his MP in the 2014 general election. But the Indian prime minister will not be getting his vote when the ancient city on the Ganges goes to the polls again on Wednesday, reports AFP.
"He doesn't understand Varanasi," complained Sahani, 34, whose boats ferry tourists and pilgrims along the holy river.
"We run the oldest transportation in the city, going back generations, and he didn't consult us about his plans (to clean up the Ganges and modernise the city)."
Modi's decision to stand in the sacred Hindu city in Uttar Pradesh rather than his home state of Gujarat in 2014 paid off with an overwhelming victory that he celebrated with a prayer on the banks of  the Ganges. Now his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to consolidate its grip on power by seizing control of India's most populous state, which stretches from the high-rise outer edge of the national capital in the west to the city on the Ganges where Hindus go for salvation in the east.
It faces stiff competition from the locally ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in a state where caste, family and religious affiliations run deep.
Leader and current chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, has rejuvenated the SP's image since he toppled his ageing father this year, forging an alliance with the national opposition Congress Party, and campaigning alongside its equally youthful deputy leader Rahul Gandhi.
Wednesday's vote will be the final stage of a bitter weeks-long battle for the state that analysts say is too close to call.
It is a key test of Modi nearly three years after he came to office pledging inclusive government and a "shining India" that would provide jobs for a growing youth population.
As voting day approached in Varanasi, one of the world's oldest cities, the once putrid banks of the Ganges were certainly shining brighter.
Locals said cleaners now came four times a day to sweep the ghats, where bodies are brought to be cremated according to centuries-old Hindu tradition.
Modern changing cabins have sprung up along the river, although most stood empty as ritual bathers stripped off next to them in the open, just as they have always done.

Assembly elections in polls

Modi battles for hearts, minds

Varanasi boat owner Prabhu Sahani backed Narendra Modi as his MP in the 2014 general election. But the Indian prime minister will not be getting his vote when the ancient city on the Ganges goes to the polls again on Wednesday, reports AFP. He doesnt understand Varanasi, complained Sahani, 34, whose boats ferry tourists and pilgrims along the holy river. We run the oldest transportation in the city, going back generations, and he didnt consult us about his plans (to clean up the Ganges and modernise the city). Modis decision to stand in the sacred Hindu city in Uttar Pradesh rather than his home state of Gujarat in 2014 paid off with an overwhelming victory that he celebrated with a prayer on the banks of the Ganges. Now his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to consolidate its grip on power by seizing control of Indias most populous state, which stretches from the high-rise outer edge of the national capital in the west to the city on the Ganges where Hindus go for salvation in the east. It faces stiff competition from the locally ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in a state where caste, family and religious affiliations run deep. Leader and current chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, has rejuvenated the SPs image since he toppled his ageing father this year, forging an alliance with the national opposition Congress Party, and campaigning alongside its equally youthful deputy leader Rahul Gandhi. Wednesdays vote will be the final stage of a bitter weeks-long battle for the state that analysts say is too close to call. It is a key test of Modi nearly three years after he came to office pledging inclusive government and a shining India that would provide jobs for a growing youth population. As voting day approached in Varanasi, one of the worlds oldest cities, the once putrid banks of the Ganges were certainly shining brighter. Locals said cleaners now came four times a day to sweep the ghats, where bodies are brought to be cremated according to centuries-old Hindu tradition. Modern changing cabins have sprung up along the river, although most stood empty as ritual bathers stripped off next to them in the open, just as they have always done.