Lucknow: BJP workers in Varanasi have launched a signature campaign to support the candidature of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi from the constituency in the Lok Sabha election.
The campaign comes a day after reports came in that there was a clear division in Varanasi between Modi supporters and those supporting Dr M M Joshi who is the sitting BJP MP from Varanasi. Dr Joshi is reportedly unwilling to quit his seat and make way for Mr Modi even though a section of the party leaders want him to shift to Kanpur for the elections.
BJP workers supporting Mr Modi put up huge white boards and posters on Friday in the holy city, asking people to sign if they wanted Mr Modi to contest the general elections from the constituency.
The BJP workers, under the name of 'Modi Army', said they will take five lakh signatures and send it to the national leadership for consideration. A BJP worker belonging to this faction said that this campaign would be carried on until the party leadership decided to field Mr Modi from Varanasi.
“Dr Joshi is unpopular with party cadres and the people of the city and does not stand a good chance of winning the seat again. We want Mr Modi to contest from here,” he said.
Party leaders feel that this division of loyalty among party workers could prove detrimental to BJP interests not only in Varanasi but in the whole of UP.
