A controversy erupted over alleged delay in grant of permission for Narendra Modi's rally scheduled for Thursday in the constituency, with BJP crying foul and demanding that the Election Commission remove the electoral officer.
However, Election Commission later agreed and granted permission to Modi to hold rallies but changed one rally venue from Benia Bagh to Cantt and Rohania was already approved.
Modi was scheduled to hold a public meeting at Benia Bagh area in Varanasi on Thursday evening, after another rally in Rohania, a rural assembly constituency outside the main Varanasi city but within the Lok Sabha constituency.
The permission was being held back for Benia Bagh on the grounds that it was very crowded and unfit for holding rallies, officials said, while adding that the administration had also got certain requests from the general public for not allowing rallies in such areas due to security risks.
In a press conference in Varanasi BJP leader Arun jaitley said that BJP workers will protest against poll officer for denying permission to Narendra Modi. Jaitley also said that BJP will protest outside BHU from 11 am on Thursday.
The protest will be lead by BJP leaders Arun Jaitely and Amit Shah, Jaitley said.
Modi will not hold rallies on Thursday, he will only go to BJP office, Jaitley added. Jaitley further said that the new venue offered to us can accommodate only 2000 people and we will not accept it.
As the campaign fever soared ahead of the May 12 vote in the constituency where Modi is in the fray, BJP leader Arun Jaitley on Wednesday alleged that the district magistrate, who is serving as electoral officer for Varanasi Lok Sabha polls, was making "unbelievable" excuses to "deny" security approval for the rally, which was a right of any candidate.
BJP said it has written to Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath against the local electoral officer and has demanded his removal. Top officials, however, sought to blame the delay in approval to non-receipt of ground report from security agencies and said a final decision could be taken by evening.
Terming the situation as "unprecedented", Jaitley said, "Holding public meeting in his constituency is right of every candidate and Narendra Modi cannot be denied the same."
"If the approval is denied on the basis of some back-dated letter or so-called intelligence alerts about security issues, they are only excuses. We have written to the CEC and hope the situation to become clear very soon," he said.
When asked whether BJP suspects that UP state government was behind the "denial", Jaitley said, "I do not know who is interfering, but the DM as an electoral officer is free to decide on such things and he is not supposed to come under any kind of pressure.
"We have written to CEC to seek his removal from here."
Varanasi goes to polls on May 12 and the campaigning will end on May 10 evening here. Modi is pitted against AAP's Arvind Kejriwal and Congress' Ajay Rai.
(With agency inputs)
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