Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking re-election for the third time, filed his nomination papers for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on Tuesday.
The PM was accompanied by top BJP leaders as well as NDA leaders in what is seen as a massive show of strength by the saffron party.
Pandit Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid, a Brahmin community member known for determining the auspicious time for the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, accompanied PM inside the nomination center along with UP CM Yogi Adityanath.
Earlier today, PM Modi offered prayers at Dashashwamedh Ghat and Baba Kaal Bhairav temple head of filing Lok Sabha nomination. He also performed aarti at the ghat amid chanting of Vedic mantras.
According to reports,
The names of PM Modi's proposers for his nomination were Pandit Ganeshwar Shastri, Baijnath Patel (a BJP worker from the Jan Sangh era), Lalchand Kushwaha, and Sanjay Sonkar.
The Congress party has pitted its state unit chief, Ajay Rai, against PM Modi. Rai has contested the last three general elections from Varanasi unsuccessfully.
With over 19.6 lakh registered voters the Varanasi constituency will vote in the seventh and last phase of the Lok Sabha elections on June 1.
(More details to follow)
