09/04/2015
Just over 10 months ago, Varanasi elected Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi as its Member of Parliament and India chose him as its Prime Minister. The people were convinced he would do great things. After all, he said in his campaign that a divine calling, no less, had drawn him to Varanasi - "Main aaya nahin hoon. Mujhe Maa Ganga ne bulaya hai (I haven't just come. I have been called by Mother Ganges herself)." Much like the swell of the Ganges in the monsoon, expectations rose in this notoriously chaotic city.
With the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh (India's largest state by numbers) due in 2017, the BJP and Modi must realise that the road to Lucknow is via Varanasi.
So, how far has Modi come in this city? How much did the blazing rhetoric actually translate into work on the ground? At best, progress has been slow. Even the rhetoric is faltering. Here is a look at what has happened in Varanasi over the past 10 months and what must be achieved to enable the BJP to win UP in 2017.
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