VARANASI: PM Modi visited the Gadhwaghat Ashram on the final day of campaigning for the Uttar Pradesh assembly election, potentially triggering some worry in the Samajwadi Party camp.

The ashram is revered especially by the Other Backward Classes and the SP counts Yadavs, who are part of OBCs, as its core support base. The PM on Monday spent about an hour at the ashram, located along the Ganga on the outskirts of Varanasi city, and met its head, Guru Sharananand.

Monday was the third and final day of the PMs hectic campaigning in his Lok Sabha constituency as part of the BJPs strategy to ensure a clean sweep in Varanasi district and ensure majority in entire eastern UP.

Varanasi, Chandauli and Ghazipur, which are considered SP strongholds, are among the districts where polling for 40 constituencies will be held in the seventh and last phase of the election on March 8. After reaching the ashram, the PM was offered several rudraksh garlands. Before offering his prayers, he visited the cowshed on the ashram premises and fed jaggery, bananas and fodder to the cows.

Later, he met the ashram head. In his last public address in this election season, at Rohania, the PM targeted both the SP-Congress alliance and BSP. He highlighted the alleged corruption in recruitment for government jobs and law and order in the state. The PM said police stations in the state have virtually become SPs office.

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PM visits Gadhwaghat Ashram, triggers some worry in Samajwadi party camp - Economic Times