Heavy rainfall and electrocution of a worker at the venue of his public meeting in Varanasi on Thursday forced Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cancel his visit to his Lok Sabha constituency for the second time in about three weeks.
Modi was scheduled to address a public rally, inaugurate a power project scheme and open a trauma centre at the Banaras Hindu University during his day-long visit.
Varanasi District Magistrate Pranjal Yadav said the Prime Minister's Office sent a communication that Modi's visit has been cancelled.
The visit was called off as it was felt that the public meeting will not be possible due to the incessant rains that hit Varanasi since Wednesday night, sources said in Delhi.
Since early morning, frantic efforts were being made to pump out water at the DLW ground where Modi was scheduled to make a public address.
The other reason being cited for cancellation of the visit is the electrocution of a gardener Devnath of West Bengal at the DLW ground early this morning.
Devnath was electrocuted after a wire broke at the 'pandal' at the ground, Yadav said.
Devnath slipped while doing his work and caught hold of an electric wire which broke and he received an electric shock, Station Officer of Manduadih police station Gopal Prasad Gupta said. He was immediately rushed to hospital but succumbed on the way.
Earlier also, Modi had to cancel his visit to Varanasi on June 28, again because of heavy downpour which had left the DLW Grounds waterlogged.
After that experience, BJP had said that this time they had made foolproof arrangements by erecting waterproof pandal at the venue. But clearly it was not enough.
During his visit, Modi was also slated to give a go-ahead to the four-laning of the Varanasi-Babatpur Road and lay the foundation stone of a Ring Road in Varanasi.
He was to lay the foundation stones for two power sub-stations at Chowk and Kazzakpura and later address a public gathering at DLW Grounds.
After winning Lok Sabha elections last year from both Varanasi and Vadodara, Modi gave up the seat in his home state of Gujarat to retain this constituency in eastern UP.
On his previous two visits to his Lok Sabha constituency -- on November 7-8 and December 25 -- Modi had announced a number of projects like trade facilitation centre for weavers, adopted a village "Jayapur" for development under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, and inaugurated an Inter-University Teachers' Training Centre at BHU.
The prime minister also led from the front in cleaning of 'Assi Ghat'.
