30 May,2024 10:36 AM IST | Varanasi | mid-day online correspondent
Devendra Fadnavis. File Pic
Amid ongoing India General Elections 2024, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Devendra Fadnavis, on Wednesday, took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and regarded his claim of INDIA alliance forming government in the centre after June 4 as 'Mungeri Lal Ke Haseen Sapne', reported news agency ANI.
Furthermore, he also expressed his confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would form the government in the centre.
Addressing the media persons in Varanasi and reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's claims of the INDIA bloc forming government on June 4, the BJP leader said, "...When I was a child, there was a serial named 'Mungeri Lal Ke Haseen Sapne'. Like Mungeri Lal, Rahul Gandhi also has the right to dream. In his dreams, he can imagine himself as the Prime Minister of India or even the President of America. He can dream all of this till June 4, as nobody is stopping him from dreaming," reported ANI.
Fadnavis further asserted, "People have chosen 'Gangaputra Modi Ji' for themselves. They have decided to side with Modi Ji."
Praising the efforts of Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in transforming Varanasi, he said, "The world wants to witness the transformational journey of the land of Baba Vishwanath (Varanasi), all because of the tremendous efforts of Prime Minister Modi and CM Yogi to develop the city. I am also overwhelmed to visit this city," reported ANI.
Addressing opposition claims that the BJP is frightened in the seventh phase of elections, Fadnavis remarked, "We don't need to campaign in Kashi, as people will themselves bless Prime Minister Modi by making him win the election."
Earlier, on Wednesday, while exuding confidence in BJP's win in the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, the party leader Tejasvi Surya said that there is a huge wave in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi across the country.
Varanasi is set for a fierce battle between PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai in the last phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1.
Varanasi is a closely watched constituency in the last phase of the India General Elections 2024, is one of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, with five assembly segments: Rohaniya, Varanasi North, Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt, and Sevapuri.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded its Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, while Ajay Rai from the Congress and Athar Jamal Lari from the Bahujan Samaj Party have filed their nominations against him.
PM Modi, the sitting MP is seeking a third consecutive term from the constituency and hoping to win with a record margin.
Ajay Rai is the president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee and is facing a huge challenge against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is a two-time MP from Varanasi.
In 2014, PM Modi won the Varanasi seat for the first time on a BJP ticket, receiving 56.37 per cent of the total votes, while Arvind Kejriwal from the AAP came in second with 20.30 per cent and Ajay Rai from the Congress party came in third with 7.34 per cent of the votes. PM Modi won the elections with a margin exceeding 3 lakh votes.
In 2024, as per the seat agreement between the Samajwadi Party and Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Congress is contesting 17 seats and the Samajwadi Party has the remaining 63 seats in the electorally crucial state.
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP emerged triumphant, securing 62 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, supplemented by two seats clinched by its ally Apna Dal (S). Mayawati's BSP managed to secure 10 seats, while Akhilesh Yadav's SP garnered five. Conversely, the Congress party secured only one seat.
The voting in Varanasi will be held in the seventh phase of the India General Elections 2024 on June 1. The counting of the votes will take place on June 4.
(With inputs from ANI)
