NEW DELHI/LUCKNOW: As Congress, which nominated local party MLA Ajai Rai as its candidate from Varanasi, fielded questions on why a "heavyweight" was not put up against Narendra Modi, the real fight against BJP's PM candidate may be coming from Varanasi's influential Muslim clerics, who have decided to back Arvind Kejriwal and intend to spread the message that the AAP chief is the "real secular" challenger. Varanasi has a substantial Muslim population.

ET has learnt that Muslim clerics' decision to back Kejriwal was taken at a meeting last week in Varanasi. It was organised by local influential cleric Sardar Maqbool Hasan and attended by other local clerics. Attendees at the meeting spoke on the condition they not be quoted.

Atiq Ansari, a prominent local Muslim leader, is also part of this effort to back Kejriwal against Modi, ET has learnt. These Muslim leaders do not view Congress's Rai as a credible challenger against Modi and they view only Kejriwal is a candidate worth backing.

Making Kejriwal familiar to local voters, especially local Muslim voters, is a key part of this plan. The other part is to persuade local don Mukhtar Ansari, who wants to contest against Modi, to withdraw.

Tariq Shamin, a local who's close to Ansari, was approached by representatives of clerics and their suggestion that Ansari withdraw was communicated. Congress leaders also said Ansari should withdraw.

But, so far, there's no firm indication that he will listen to either clerics' or Congress' suggestion. A history of feud between Rai and Ansari is one problem, local political leaders say.

Ansari's chances of withdrawal would have been greater had Rai not been Congress' candidate, they said.

The other Congress plan — getting SP and BSP to withdraw in favour of Congress — is also not looking substantive at this point. SP minister Shivpal Yadav rejected the idea of a joint candidate against Narendra Modi.