VARANASI: Tens of thousands voted in brisk polling in Varanasi, where AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said his fight was only against BJP's Narendra Modi and where the Congress candidate triggered a row by entering a polling booth with his party symbol pinned to his kurta.
With around 1.6 million voters, Varanasi went to polls in the last round of the 10-phase Lok Sabha election in the country.
On an average 10.38 percent voting was reported in the morning hours from the 18 Uttar Pradesh constituencies. But in Varanasi, from where BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narenda Modi is facing fierce competition from Kejriwal, 18 percent voting was reported in the initial three hours.
"It is not a triangular contest," said a confident Kejriwal, referring to Congress' candidate Ajay Rai.
"Ajai Rai does not feature anywhere. I feel it is a direct fight with Narendra Modi. And going by the change in the last three days, everyone is saying that Modi is losing," Kejriwal told the media.
A controversy broke out when Ajay Rai walked into a polling station with the party symbol tucked on his kurta. Election law bans the use of any party symbol within 100 metres of the polling station. Officials in the district say the Congress candidate had indeed violated the law.
