Akhilesh Yadav shows strength in Varanasi

Yadav on Saturday afternoon held a roadshow in Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency to campaign for party candidate Kailash Prasad Chaurasia.

A huge crowd was seen cheering for Akhilesh and the SP as his cavalcade headed towards Girijaghar.

"We will win from Varanasi. The people have seen our hard work and have full faith in us," said Akhilesh.

Earlier in the day, in a show of strength, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday held a massive rally in Varanasi town of Uttar Pradesh. 

Gandhi started his roadshow from Gol Gadda Chauraha, passed through Peeli Kothi and Benia Bagh, where Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was earlier denied permission to hold a rally, and headed towards Lanka.

He stood in an open jeep wearing a Nehru topi with Congress colours and logo, waved to the people and requested them to vote for party candidate Ajay Rai with folded hands.

The Gandhi scion was musically welcomed by legendary musician Ustad Bismillah Khan's family who played shehnai for him.

The streets were flooded with people waving Congress flags, party supporters shouting slogans for the party and Gandhi. 

He ended his rally at Lanka Gate, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) by paying a tribute to the university founder Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.

Pertinently, Varanasi is one of the most keenly watched seats in the ninth phase of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections where the main contest is among  BJP's Narendra Modi, AAP's Arvind Kejriwal and Congress' Ajay Rai.

Saturday was the last day of campaigning in Varanasi before the polls on May 12.