Varanasi, the melodious city as nurtured by Ustad Bismillah Khan, is tuned to political rhetoric, filled with the aroma of dust, heat, fear and anxiety. The taste of famous Banarasi pan (beetle) is now being enjoyed with added political flavour of hate and enmity, gossip of perception and expectation. Political slogans override religious chanting at the Ghats. The historical city is all set to add a new dimension to its political history because Varanasi has now become the focal point 2014 Lok Sabha polls.
The political onslaught in between AAP and BJP is likely to impact the mood of the nation and may shape up the discourse of campaign trail elsewhere. It’s a battle for symbolism, opportunism and pragmatism. Both the parties have chosen this constituency to send some political message to the electorates.
The replacement of sitting MP Murli Manohar Joshi with BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi from Varanasi is more than enough to believe that it is totally Moditva of BJP before polls. The displeasure is quite evident from the BJP central leadership against the dominant role of Modi in all major decisions of the party. The displeasure against one man projection in the majority of the Billboards was felt deeply when Rajnath Singh tweeted Ab Ki Baar BJP ki Sarkar against the Billboard Ab ki Baar Modi Ki Sarkar. Though it remained only for more than half an hour but gave a clear picture of the anxiety within BJP leaders against rising clout of Modi in BJP and his dictating rules of elections.
The declaration from Arvind Kejriwal to fight against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate from Varanasi has raised the political pitch much more than expected. Kejriwal, by doing so, has sent across the nation the message that would go a long way in the days to come. By pitching himself against Modi, he has created a perception in the minds of the people that the 2014 Lok Sabha poll is all about AAP and BJP. He has also managed to send some positive signals to the minority community. As the polling in Varanasi is scheduled for 12 May, Kejriwal will be able to keep the momentum of the fierce political heat till the fag end of the election that the battle is all about Kejriwal and Modi in order to occupy the space of previous election in 2009 that was in between Congress and the BJP.
Apart from all other issues raised by political parties, caste still has a role to play in Varanasi. Approximately there are 3 lakh Muslims, 2 lakh Brahmins, 1 lakh Bhumihars, 1 lakh Yadavs, 50,000 Nishads and Rajbhars, and 5 lakh Khatris while Kushwahas, Chaurasias, South Indians and Bengalis and other backward classes comprise 3 lakh. In age wise breakup there are 8.2 per cent people above the age group of 65, 25 per cent above the age group in between 35 to 45, 18 per cent people in between 44 to 54 years age group, 10.4 per cent in the 55 to 64 years age group, 9.4 per cent in the age group of 18 to 24 years while 28 per cent in the age group of 25-34 years.
In percentage wise, there are (20 per cent Muslims), (Brahmins, Bhumihars and Kshastriyas comprise 20 per cent), (Patels 15 per cent), (7 per cent linguistic minorities), (13 per cent SC), (10 per cent Yadavs) and (15 per cent Vaishyas). In 2009, Lok Sabha polls out of total 15.6 lakh voters in the city only 6.6 lakh turned up to cast their votes. But this time youth in between 18 to 35 years are more likely to change the rules of the game.
Despite all other factors and dominance of religiosity in the region, caste has always played a significant role. In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats from this region, BJP managed to win only from Varanasi when the party’s candidate Murli Manohar Joshi won the Varanasi seat by more than 17000 votes against Mukhtar Ansari contesting on the BSP ticket. Mukhtar Ansari is again in the fray and this time on Qaumi Ekta Dal ticket. The BSP has fielded Vijay Prakash Jaiswal while SP has given ticket to Mirzapur Kailash Chaurasia.
Pratap Bhanu Mehta, in his article, “In another Varanasi” in The Indian Express on 20 March has reasonably said that we have so gotten used to being argumentative, that we seem to forget how to reason. We have so gotten used to enumerating identities that we have lost a sense of what truths we might jointly pursue. As Varanasi becomes a gigantic political akhara, these esoteric histories might make us think more reflectively about our civilizational aspirations about the virtues that sustain the best possibilities. India has lost too many “ages of reason”; it has often been too unaware of what is right under its nose. One can only hope that the spirit that brought Dara Shikoh and Yashovijaya Gani to their Varanasi projects, the commitment to truth and public reason, will find a way of triumphing over the fist fights about to ensue.
In the, “city of learning” as Varanasi is also called, let us hope that the people will learn to live in peace no matter what the outcome of election is, how aggressively the battle is fought and how deep the rift the politicians try to create for their electoral gains without giving second thoughts to what the city is all about.