Varanasi: A day after Narendra Modi drove through this temple town, his opponent AAP's Arvind Kejriwal began his roadshow on Friday from rural parts of the constituency and took a jibe at the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate's "helicopter" visit.
Kejriwal also said that he was confident about his victory with a "huge majority" and accused BJP of trying every tactic including communal and caste politics, as well as "violence and bribing of media".
The Aam Aadmi Party leader, who is pitted against Modi from Varanasi parliamentary constituency, said "people in Varanasi say how will a person who comes in a helicopter for only two hours to campaign, serve us".
"AAP is winning with a huge majority in Varanasi...Narendra Modi will suffer defeat as people of Varanasi know about the reality," said Kejriwal, whose city roadshow would begin later today from Banaras Hindu University gate – the same place from where Modi last evening began his drive-through.
The campaigning has suddenly heated up here despite scorching heat with temperatures soaring past 45 degrees.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will also hold a roadshow tomorrow to seek vote for the party candidate Ajay Rai.
Kejriwal, who was also expected to address a public meeting today, has been campaigning extensively here for about one month, especially in rural and minority-dominated areas.
All the top leaders of AAP are also here, while today's roadshow was being attended among others by Bhagvant Mann, Vishal Dadlani and Gul Panag, who led a bike rally also on Thursday.
Kejriwal also performed a Ganga Aarti last evening, even as Modi's plans to perform the same could not fructify amid a major showdown between BJP and the election authorities.
Campaigning in Varanasi will end on May 10 and the city will vote on May 12.
