The internet is buzzing with visuals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi touching the feet of BJP leader Ravinder Singh Negi during a public rally held in Ghonda ahead of the upcoming Delhi elections.

Negi, 45, is contesting from the Patparganj constituency on a BJP ticket.

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The moment occurred when Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva introduced Negi to the Prime Minister as part of a ceremony where several party candidates were presented to Modi. In the viral videos circulating on social media, it’s common to see candidates bowing and touching the PM’s feet as a sign of respect.

However, when it was Negi’s turn, he attempted to touch Modi’s feet, only for the Prime Minister to return the gesture by touching Negi’s feet three times.

Negi, who previously served as Zila Mahamantri of the Delhi BJP, is competing against AAP’s UPSC coach Avadh Ojha in Patparganj. The seat was historically held by senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia, who won it three times before.

In the 2020 assembly elections, Negi narrowly lost to Sisodia by a mere 2% margin. However, in the 2022 Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections, Negi triumphed over the AAP candidate with a victory margin of 2,311 votes from the Vinod Nagar seat.

Currently serving as an MCD councillor from the Vinod Nagar area, Negi has been at the center of several controversies. Notably, he was criticized for allegedly forcing a Muslim shop owner to change the name of his diary to reflect its Muslim ownership. In other instances, videos surfaced showing Negi encouraging street vendors to place saffron flags on their carts.