Even as BJP President Rajnath Singh on Saturday hinted that Narendra Modi may retain the Varanasi seat if he wins from there as well as from Vadodara in the Lok Sabha polls, the Aam Aadmi Party dared the Gujarat Chief Minister to declare the seat he was going to keep.
Senior AAP leader Yogendra Yadav asked why Modi himself was not forthcoming on the issue of which seat he would retain, instead of other party leaders dropping hints.
"Why does not he (Modi) clarify on the issue. He addressed a number of rallies today in nearby areas in Uttar Pradesh and if he really wanted to retain Varanasi seat, he should have announced so," Yadav told reporters in Varanasi.
Earlier, BJP President said that Varanasi was his 'janmabhoomi (birthplace) and would become 'karmabhoomi' (place of work) for Narendra Modi, triggering speculations that Modi might retain Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in the event of BJP-led alliance forming the government and the Gujarat Chief Minister becoming the Prime Minister.
Singh however refused to give direct answers to repeated questions on which seat would be retained by Modi between Varanasi and Vadodara if he wins Lok Sabha elections from both the constituencies.
"All I want to say is that people of neither of the seats would be disappointed," Varanasi-born Singh said, while dropping some hints about Varanasi being retained by Modi with his remarks that the "people of Varanasi should feel proud that the head of BJP party was also from Varanasi and the head of the government (Prime Minister) would also be from there".
Modi is in Lok Sabha fray from two seats, but he would have to resign from one in case he wins from both the places.
While Varanasi will go to polls on May 12, voting has already taken place on Vadodara in Gujarat on April 30.
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