Amidst the impending Lok Sabha elections of 2024, the Varanasi constituency in Uttar Pradesh stands as a focal point, witnessing a dualistic clash between the incumbent Member of Parliament and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai.
The Samajwadi Party has yielded the constituency to the Congress, as part of a pre-electoral pact, nominating Ajay Rai as its contender for this seat. Remarkably, neither the SP nor the BSP have ever clinched victory in the Varanasi constituency throughout the annals of the Lok Sabha elections in the nation.
Confrontation between Congress and BJP in Varanasi: Historically, the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency has been a battleground for the Congress and the BJP, with both parties securing victory on seven occasions each. Notably, during the years 1952-1957 and 1962, Raghunath Singh of the Congress achieved a triumphant streak in Varanasi.
The succession of triumphs includes SN Singh of CPM in 1967, Rajaram Shastri of the Congress in 1971, Chandrashekhar of Bharatiya Lok Dal in 1977, Kamalapati Tripathi of the Congress in 1980, Shyamlal Yadav of the Congress in 1984, Anil Shastri of Janata Dal in 1989, and Shreesh Chand of the BJP in 1991. Similarly, Shankar Prasad Jaiswal of the BJP emerged victorious in 1996-1998 and 1999, followed by Dr. Rajesh Mishra of the Congress in 2004, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi of the BJP in 2009, and Narendra Modi of the BJP in 2014 and 2019.
Varanasi Elusive for SP and BSP: Intriguingly, the SP and BSP, despite their dominance in Uttar Pradesh politics, have yet to secure the Varanasi seat in the history of Lok Sabha elections. Despite holding power, these parties have been unable to clinch victory in Varanasi.
The Public Sentiment of ‘Culture and Religion’: Renowned political analyst Prof RP Pandey suggests that one reason for the SP and BSP’s failure to make inroads in Varanasi is the city’s stature as the cultural nucleus of the nation, which the aforementioned parties have failed to leverage. “The sentiment of the populace here resonates more with cultural and religious facets. The ideologies of SP and BSP stand in opposition to these sentiments. BSP discourages temple visits, and no SP member has yet visited the Ram temple. Consequently, it remains improbable for their candidates to secure victory in this region,” opined Pandey.
