Will win by a big margin, says Kejriwal

With his party’s roadshows in the Varanasi constituency well attended, AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal on Friday exuded confidence that he would beat Narendra Modi by a big margin. He took a dig at the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate for his “helicopter politics.” “All the people of Varanasi say he’s [Mr. Modi’s] losing. We will win with a huge majority. He doesn’t even have the time to ask votes from the people, so what can they expect? He came on a helicopter for two hours, before voting. This will not work,” Mr. Kejriwal told reporters from atop a jeep. Mr. Kejriwal accused Mr. Modi of resorting to every tactic in the book to stop him — “communal, caste, money, violence, hate and bribing [of media]” — but, he said, none of this would work.

The former Delhi Chief Minister, who performed a Ganga aarti on Thursday, also accused Mr. Modi of playing politics over the ritual.

“You don’t need permission for Ganga

aarti . By seeking permission and creating a hue and cry over it you are politicising it,” Mr. Kejriwal said as his vehicle passed through the rural pockets of the Rohaniya Assembly segment.

At Kateshar, a Muslim-dominated area, Mr. Kejriwal’s convoy had to stop at various places as supporters were eager to garland him.

He obliged and thanked them by waving at them.

Commenting on Mr. Modi’s allegations of EC bias in not allowing him to hold a rally at Beniabagh, Mr. Kejriwal said the poll panel was in fact “biased in favour of the BJP.” It is not acting against him. The EC should ask him about the opinion poll released by a television channel.”