In the 2014 general election, Varanasi was the battle ground for BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal. Narendra Modi defeated Arvind Kejriwal with a margin of 3,71,784 votes. While Narendra Modi had received 5,81,022 votes, Arvind Kejriwal received 2,09,238 votes.
In the 2009 general election, BJP had fielded veteran leader Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi from Varanasi. He won after receiving 2,03,122 votes. His closest opponent was BSP’s Mukhtar Ansari, who received 1,85,911 votes.
In the 1971 election, Congress’s Raja Ram Shastri was elected from Varanasi. In 1977, Chandra Shekhar of the BLD was elected. In 1980, Kamalapati of the Congress (Indira) was elected to Lok Sabha from Varanasi.
In 1984, Shyam Lal Yadava was elected on a Congress ticket. In 1989 Anil Shastri of the Janata Dal was elected. In 1991, Sheesh Chandra Dixit won the seat on a ticket from BJP. In 1996, Shankar Prasad Jaiswal, another BJP candidate, was elected from Varanasi. Shankar Prasad Jaiswal was elected again in 1998 and 1999.
In 2004, Dr. Rajesh Kumar Mishra was elected on a Congress ticket.
The 2019 Lok Sabha elections for Varanasi constituency was held in the seventh and final phase of polling, on May 19. Congress fielded Ajay Rai against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is looking to be re-elected for a second term. Samajwadi Party, which is in alliance with Mayawati's BSP, fielded Shalini Yadav as their candidate.
There are five assembly segments under the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency. These include Rohaniya, Varanasi North, Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt., and Sevapuri.
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