Sure of win, AAP plans victory march in Kashi

Claiming that its leader Arvind Kejriwal will defeat BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Varanasi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has planned a ‘thank you’ event on Friday.

Claiming that its leader Arvind Kejriwal will defeat BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi in Varanasi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has planned a ‘thank you’ event on Friday.

Kejriwal will be leaving for Varanasi on Friday morning.

The AAP leader, who had defeated three-term chief minister Sheila Dikshit in Delhi during 2013 assembly polls, had taken on Modi with a ‘communalism is a bigger threat than corruption’ plank.

“If Kejriwal wins, it will be a procession from the Returning Officer’s office — from where Kejriwal will collect his winning certificate — to the Durga Kund area, where he will address and thank the supporters,” party sources said.

In case of a defeat, it will just be an address to the supporters, sources added.

Varanasi had seen an unprecedented 55.63 % voting compared with 42.61% in 2009.

Read: From the Delhi throne to challenger's seat in Varanasi: Top 10 Kejriwal moments in this election season

When Kejriwal returned to Delhi after voting on May 12 in the temple city, he had left behind a small team in Varanasi. These team members and local volunteers are organising the victory procession.

One of the AAP team members in Varanasi told HT, “As such there is a ban on all road shows or processions. But if Kejriwal wins – and we are sure of it .”

After campaigning for various candidates across several states, Kejriwal and scores of AAP volunteers and party leaders had shifted base to Varanasi for a sustained campaign.