UP polls: Kashi Vishwanath Corridor makes BJP strong contender in Varanasi, SP likely to give tough fight to ruling party on two seats

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 28 : Varanasi which will witness voting in the sixth phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 7, is a stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party, however, the Samajwadi Party is likely to give the ruling party a tough fight on two of the eight seats in the city.
Varanasi district comprises of Pindra, Ajagara, Shivpur, Rohaniya, Varanasi North, Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt, and Sevapuri Assembly seats.
Notably, with its development agenda and work done for the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, the BJP has come up as a strong contender in Varanasi.
There are a total of 8 seats in Varanasi out of which the BJP holds a strong position on 6 of them. However, this does not seem to be the case with the remaining two seats. One is Varanasi South on which BJP's Culture Minister Neelkanth Tiwari is contesting opposite Samajwadi Party's Kishan Dixit, head priest of Mrityunjay Mahadev. Another is Cantt where the BJP has fielded Saurabh Srivastava opposite SP's Pooja Yadav.
According to the people of Varanasi, there is a tough competition between the two parties the above-mentioned two seats.
Speaking to ANI, a resident of the city, Babbu said, "The people of all religions will vote for PM Modi and CM Yogi because due to the construction of Vishwanath Corridor, tourism has increased. The roads have become good, the pipeline has been spread. A lot of work has been done here."
A shopkeeper in front of the Vishwanath Mandir Rajesh said that there has always been a wave of the BJP in the city, however, due to Kishan Dixit contesting from Varanasi South seat, there might be some impact.
"There has always been a wave of the BJP in Varanasi. Only the MLAs of the BJP win the election. This time, on Varanasi South seat and Cantt seat, there is a fierce fight between the BJP and SP because the SP has fielded Kishan Dixit, a priest of Mrityunjay Mahadev. That might have an impact," he said.
The business has grown due to the construction of the Vishwanath Mandir Corridor which would surely benefit the BJP. A lot of developmental work has also been done," Rajesh added.
Interestingly, one of the main businesses of Banaras is the business of wooden toys which is exported even abroad. Due to the construction of the Corridor, the business has grown, almost doubled.
A businessman of toys, Amit said, "The business that has grown due to the construction of the Corridor will surely have a positive impact on the election. A lot of work has been done. Ganga treatment plant has also been made, things have developed pretty fast. Attention has been given to cleanliness."
"However, the BJP may face challenges on two seats. But the candidates are good on the 6 seats," he added.