In Varanasi, PM Narendra Modi’s 3 days trounced SP-Congress math

NEW DELHI: The three days that PM Narendra Modi spent in Varanasi towards the end of the campaign brought rich dividends to the Bharatiya Janata Party, which, along with its two allies, swept all eight seats here with massive margins, keeping the PM’s pride intact.

The SP-Congress alliance had banked on math for the Varanasi seats as in many of them, they had together polled more votes in 2012 than the winning candidate.

However, this did not work in the face of Modi’s efforts. SP insiders said Congress support in Varanasi was less than heartening.

Priyanka Gandhi did not turn up at Varanasi road show even after Akhilesh’s request.

Five-time Congress MLA from Pindra, Ajay Rai, lost as BJP candidate Avadhesh Singh won by 37,000 votes. The biggest winning margin was in Rohaniya, where BJP’s Surendra Narayan Singh won by more than 57,000 votes – the PM held a rally here.