VARANASI: When Narendra Modi decided to contest from Varanasi in Lok Sabha 2014 polls, the east Uttar Pradesh city always politically alive but often indifferent to change – was taken by surprise. It was uneasy too. Varanasi is a holy city for the Hindus. But it has also been a place where Hindus and Muslims have lived side by side for centuries, their lives intertwined like zari with cotton in the eloquent saris that are livelihood to lakhs and part of the city’s identity. Some were anxious that Modi’s brand of Hindutva politics could unsettle the city’s fragile fabric. Electorally, it turned out to be a minority view. Modi triumphed by over 3.71 lakh votes, getting more than 56% of the ballot cast.
Now five years later, while the rest of India gets ready to judge the PM, Varanasi’s appraisal also includes his report card as an MP. Travelling across Varanasi, what’s clear is that major infrastructural changes have taken place in and around the city in the past five years. Official statistics show an estimated Rs 21,862 crore has been spent since 2014-15 on development and construction works in the city.