Lok Sabha polls turn Varanasi into aviation hotspot

MUMBAI: With the world seemingly converging in Varanasi ahead of the climactic battle of the ongoing general elections on May 12 between BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, it is getting harder to find a seat in trains and even flights to the holy city.

Some flights of low-cost carrier Spicejet on the Delhi-Varanasi route recorded occupancy levels of 99% last week when campaigning by both parties reached its final lap, a person familiar with the matter said, adding that average occupancy also rose appreciably to 89%.

Yatra.com's president Sharat Dhall said bookings to the city surged 38%. "The growth was much higher than current vacation hotspots such as Srinagar and Jammu," Dhall told ET. Ticket prices have risen too, with the spot fare from Delhi to Varanasi for Saturday costing more than 10,000.

Trains have seen a similar rush. "Varanasi clearly emerged as the election hotspot. We saw 40-45% upsurge in train searches for Varanasi between April 11 and April 25 to book for the first week of May. The highest surge was on April 23-24," said Saurabh Srivastava, vice-president marketing and product strategy at Ixigo.com.