Recalling the blasts that shook Varanasi in March 2006
Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa, who has extensively covered Election 2014, reports from Varanasi on voting day
'Last Tuesday's bombing might best be interpreted as an attack against the tolerant, cosmopolitan character of modern Varanasi, which also characterises India at its best.'
Escalating his attack on the Election Commission, Narendra Modi questioned the poll body's neutrality over denial of permission for a public meeting at a venue of his choice in Varanasi even as appealed to party workers to maintain peace while protesting the move.
Do you, our dear readers, think Arvind Kejriwal should take on the BJP's prime ministerial candidate from Varanasi? Or do you believe Kejrwal is fighting a losing battle?
The issue came up at the quarterly meeting of the standing committee on Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanwapi security in Varanasi on Wedmesday.
Aditi honoured in Dubai... Sonal turns poet...Kalki goes surfing...
A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com visited many polling booths in Varanasi on polling day. This is what he discovered.
Javed, who arrived from Kolkata early in the morning, visited Sarnath and the Banaras Hindu University and took a boat ride in river Ganga before winding up his visit.
Yadav, who is seeking a second successive term in office after stitching an alliance with Congress, in wilderness in the state for a long time, led a roadshow with Rahul through the city, but not before he had paid a visit to the 'Kashi Vishwanath' temple of Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of Varanasi.
In his absence, the party stares at uncertainty as many of its other senior leaders are either in jail or in political obscurity.
'I would like to leave behind my small contribution for the historic day when the Ram temple will be consecrated.'
These days, a good dose of Narendra Modi is served along with piping hot cup of tea at Varanasi's favourite melting pot, Pappu ki Adi. Differing voices are silenced at once, discovers Anita Katyal.
Narendra Modi's candidature from Varanasi will help the Bharatiya Janata Party gain more seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh as well as neighbouring Bihar and lay the foundation for a National Democratic Alliance government, his close aide Amit Shah said on Monday.
The prime minister will be part of the launch of several development initiatives on his birthday.
This hot beverage is a great substitute for tea.
Anger cannot be an end in itself to Rahul Gandhi's politics -- it must instead catalyse a new political strategy, argues Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
Aam Aadmi party on Thursday released manifesto for its most important contest - Varanasi Lok Sabha seat where party chief Arvind Kejriwal is taking on BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has decided to cut short his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Uttar Pradesh by skipping western part of the state and saving five days, a party leader said on Monday while citing board exams.
Firing a fresh salvo at Narendra Modi, Aam Aadmi Party National Convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said his decision to enter the electoral fray from Varanasi was not a "symbolic gesture" but to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate.
The former Congress chief was scheduled to visit Prayagraj for a function at the Kamla Nehru Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, Rai said.
The stars performed a series of pujas at Varanasi's famous Kashi Vishwanath temple and the Sankat Mochan temple during the early hours of Monday.
Satellite imagery showed a dense elongated band of fog stretching from Punjab to the northeast.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday declared 13 candidates from Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha polls including actor Arun Govil, who played Lord Ram in popular TV serial Ramayan, from Meerut, while replacing sitting MP Varun Gandhi from Pilibhit with state minister Jitin Prasada.
One infant and 22 others, including some foreigners, were injured in a blast that rocked the crowded Shitla Ghat bank of the Ganga river in Varanasi , about 300 km from Lucknow on Tuesday evening.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe attended the spectacular sunset Ganga Aarti at the fabled Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi on Saturday.
Political parties are getting battle-ready, nominating their best candidates to contest Election 2014... Rediff.com's incomparable Sheela Bhatt begins a new column where she reveals the ground realities in the Battle for India, as only she can. Don't miss it!
The Congress on Thursday said the country will give a befitting reply to the tears of the wrestlers who sought justice from the BJP government.
As the election campaign for the 16th Lok Sabha drew to a close on Saturday, May 10, Varanasi looked like a city undergoing an exodus. According to the Election Commission guidelines, those engaged in campaign activities -- if they were not voters in the constituency, irrespective of their party or candidate affiliation -- would have to leave the city after canvassing ended. A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com takes stock as the whirlwind campaign in Varanasi ended.
Abdulla Zubair was arrested after a tip-off by another LeT operative.
In order to strike a balance between the diverse communities in Varanasi, the Aam Aadmi Party will focus on tree major issues -- river, weaver and sewer -- when it takes on Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
For the first time in his political career, he failed to carry his party to even a working majority -- and again, for the first time in his career, he finds himself in a situation where he cannot rule by dictatorial fiat, points out Prem Panicker.
Six decades and more later, we are now captives of our identities. Every poll is based on elaborate calculations of electability of candidates on the basis of their castes and other narrow definers. That, along with voter promiscuity, is what defines our political culture, which remains stubbornly resistant to any change, asserts Shreekant Sambrani.
'Rather than taking a very short-term view on the markets, equity investing should be premised on longer term growth opportunities.'
The UP police will now seek the help of an ace Mumbai artist.
Breaking his silence over the reported row in the Bharatiya Janata Party over a move to field Narendra Modi from Varanasi, Murli Manohar Joshi on Sunday said he would accept any decision the party takes like a "disciplined soldier" and hoped it would neither dent the PM candidate's prestige nor hurt party's electoral chances.
Accompanied by a large entourage, including the kids, the couple reached Varanasi by a private plane in the afternoon.
The head of a religious mutt in Varanasi has slammed Bharatiya Janata Party and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for using the temple town to further their political ambitions.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances