PM Modi may skip last day of campaign in Varanasi

"There is no final word yet on whether Prime Minister will campaign in the temple city today, or he will be here on the polling day on May 19, Sunday," a BJP leader said.

A party announcement in Delhi on Thursday merely said the Prime Minister would address an election meeting at Khargone in Madhya Pradesh.

There is, however, no mention of his programme for Varanasi.

On April 26 during filing of his nomination papers, Prime Minister had said he may not be able to come to Varanasi for campaign. He had staged a massive roadshow on that day and exuded confidence that the people of Varanasi will yet again repose faith in him.

In 2014, Mr Modi had won the seat defeating AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal by a margin of over three lakh votes.

This time Mr Modi is locked in a triangular contest against Ajay Rai of Congress and Shalini Yadav of Samajwadi Party.

Mr Rai had finished third in 2014 polling only around 75,614 votes. However, as an Samajwadi Party candidate in 2009, the same Rai had polled 1,23,874 votes.

BJP chief Amit Shah has been himself monitoring party's electoral strategies in Varanasi and Union Ministers J.P. Nadda, Piyush Goyal and Smriti Irani have addressed several meetings.

About 10,000 BJP workers especially from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh are working overtime as part of door to door campaign to woo voters.

A local BJP leader said the BJP is eyeing a victory margin of over six lakhs. "As an outsider and fresher in electoral fray in 2014, Arvind Kejriwal polled over two lakh votes. We want that share to come BJP. What finally matters is the victory margin," he said.