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As focus shifts to March 10, discussing next CM over hot cuppa commonplace in Kashi
With polling for the 2022 UP assembly polls over and counting slated for Thursday (March 10), tea stalls in the temple town are abuzz with political discussions as to who will be the next chief minister
With polling for the 2022 UP assembly polls over and counting slated for Thursday (March 10), tea stalls in the temple town are abuzz with political discussions as to who will be the next chief minister.
Now when the focus has shifted to the counting day, the point of discussion at tea stalls has also changed from “who will win” to “who will be the next CM”. Part of one such discussion at his tea stall in Pandeypur area, Vijay Yadav claims that Yogi Adityanath will the chief minister again this time too.
A diehard fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vijay hardly misses any chance to make his point in the poll and other discussions concerning locals. Varanasi went to poll in the seventh and the last phase on March 7.
Echoing similar views, another local Manoj Pandey present at the tea stall, however, seems worried in case the seats of BJP come down as compared to the 2017 polls. It is when Ghanshyam Singh Munna, a local social worker, intervenes claiming, “BJP’s tally in this election will be 300+and Yogiji will be the CM.”
On the contrary, another local Bachcha Mishra opines, “Don’t get so thrilled over the predictions of exit polls. Let the poll result come on March 10, everything will be clear.... SP chief Akhilesh Yadav will be the next CM.”
One Chhedi Lal Srivastava, present at the shop next to the tea stall, claims that the BJP would retain power but its tally would not cross 250 mark. Another avid participant Ashwani Pandey says, “I am confident about the victory of the BJP.”
At Yadav tea stall located at a little distance, one Lallu Yadav claims that Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav will be the next chief minister. He further claims that the people of the state in large numbers have voted for the SP because they are upset over issues like unemployment and inflation.
Rajkumar Yadav, owner of another tea stall owner in Paharia area, claims, “I am sure that after March 10, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav will be the chief minister as the people have supported the SP wholeheartedly.” Another hot topic is as to who will win the Varanasi South assembly seat—the constituency the BJP has been winning since 1989—this time.
Pradeep Jaiswal, Samajwadi Party Vyapar Prakoshtha, UP vice president, is confident of SP candidate’s victory from the seat. “History will be created at Varanasi South on March 10. SP candidate Kishan Dixit will emerge victorious here,” he claims.
Kashi region BJP OBC wing vice president Somnath Vishwakarma says, “With the blessings of Baba Kashi Vishwanath, the BJP will win the Varanasi South seat this time too.” In 2017 assembly polls, the BJP had won 6 seats while Apna Dal (Sonelal) and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party had won one seat each in Varanasi.
