Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday filed his nomination papers for the third time from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat after performing Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat amid chanting of Vedic mantras.

The nomination papers were filed at the Collectorate before the district Magistrate and returning officer S Rajalingam during a chosen auspicious time. Enthusiasm was clearly visible on the PM’s face during the process.

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Today, there is coincidence of Ganga Saptami and Nakshatra Raj Pushya and along with Ravi Yoga, is creating good positions of the planets. It is believed that doing any work on this day leads to fulfillment of the desired wish.

The PM was accompanied by Pandit Ganeshwar Shastri Dravid, one of his proposers, and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to the DM’s office for the nomination process.

PM Modi sat in the front chair along with Pandit Ganeshwar Shastri while CM Adityanath sat behind the PM. The BJP Varanasi candidate, PM Modi also took the oath before the Returning Officer.

Along with Pandit Ganeshwar Shastri, other proposers of PM were Jan Sangh worker Baijnath Patel, BJP worker Lalchand Kushwaha and Varanasi BJP district general secretary Sanjay Sonkar.

Today is the last day for filing of nominations for the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha polls where polling is scheduled on June 1.

Before filing his nominations, PM paid obeisance to Maa Ganga on the occasion of Ganga Saptami at the Dashashwamedh Ghat and later reached Kaal Bhairav Temple. He also took the blessings of Kashi Kotwal Kaal Bhairav before leaving for the Collectorate for nomination.

Before visiting the Kaal Bhairav Temple, Modi said in a post on X, “My relationship with my Kashi is amazing, inseparable, and incomparable. All I can say is it cannot be expressed in words!”

After filing his nominations, the PM left for Rudraksh Convention Centre where he will address the NDA and party workers meeting. In a grand show of strength, several NDA leaders and chief ministers of NDA-ruled states were present today.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, BJP president JP Nadda, NDA leaders including Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, RPI leader Ramdas Athawale, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, Pawan Kalyan, Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party President and cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath led BJP government, Omprakash Rajbhar, UP minister Sanjay Nishad and former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi were already present to attend the meeting.

Chief Ministers of 12 states are expected to attend the meeting.

This time, the PM is contesting against Congress’ Ajai Rai and Bahujan Samajwadi Party’s Athar Ali Lari. In the 2019 poll, Modi won the seat by nearly 4.8 lakh votes, a big jump from the 3.72 lakh winning margin in 2014.

| Prime Minister #NarendraModi files nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for #LokSabhaElections2024 #Varanasi #LokSabhaPolls #Elections2024 #ElectionsWithTheStatesman #TheStatesman pic.twitter.com/yyIqPUMZFv

— The Statesman (@TheStatesmanLtd) May 14, 2024