By Amita Verma

Varanasi, Apr 9 (IANS): American author Frank Herbert may not have ever come to Varanasi but he did say, "When politics and religion ride in the same cart, whirlwind follows."

Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, today showcases how politics and religion, riding in the same cart, have got so intertwined that they are inseparable.

Politics in this holy city is no longer about parties but about a new awakening in voters that goes beyond political shades.

"There is no opposition left here - what is there left to oppose anyway? Will anyone oppose unmatched development or a boost to the economy or a new identity that this city has got," said a resident Trinath Yadav.

Yadav was a supporter of the Samajwadi Party but he now feels that it is futile to vote for the SP - at least in Varanasi.

"I am certainly not a BJP supporter but I will, nevertheless, vote for Modi because what he has done for us is appreciable," he says.

In Varanasi, the tiny kiosks that used to be the hub of political discussions till a few years ago, are no longer witnessing them.

"Election ki baat nahin hoti kyonki ab chunav hai hi nahi," says Bullu Babu, a local trader who has left the running of his sweet shop to his sons and spends most of the day sitting at a tea stall and gossiping with his friends.

He explains, "Elections take place when you have to make choices. Then people discuss the various parties and candidates. In Varanasi, there is complete unanimity about elections and all we have to do is to cast our vote. Modi remains the unanimous choice and his efforts to transform Kashi are visible."

Interestingly, Congress and SP leaders in Varanasi also admit that next year's Lok Sabha election will not offer any surprises.

"We talk because as an opposition party we have to say something but the fact is that the people here will continue to vote for Modi. He is one leader who has completely transformed the heritage city -- something that no other leader had done so far," says a former Congress MLA.