In the 2014, Modi had won from the Varanasi seat by defeating Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal by a massive margin of 3.37 lakh votes
Flanked by a galaxy of leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the National Democratic Alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed his nomination papers for Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency on Friday. But first, he paid obeisance at the Kaal Bhairav Temple, revered as the Kotwal of Kashi (Guardian of Varanasi).
On his walk to the Collectorate office, the Prime Minister was flanked by BJP president Amit Shah, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj (Minister for External Affairs) and
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
As he filed his papers for the second time at the Varanasi Collectorate office, JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) patron Parkash Singh Badal looked on.
In the 2014, Modi had won from the Varanasi seat by defeating Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal by a massive margin of 3.37 lakh votes.
PM Modi touched the feet of nonagenarian Singh and Prof Annapurna Shukla, former principal of Banaras Hindu University's women college, who was one of those who proposed his names for the constituency. The others included 'Dom Raja' Jagdish Raja Chowdhary, whose family performs last rites at Varanasi's Manikarnika Ghat, ones of Varanasi's oldest BJP workers Subhash Chandra Gupta and Dr Ramashankar Patel, an agricultural scientist.
After filing his papers, the Prime Minister exhorted people to come out in large numbers to participate in the electoral process. "This is a festival of democracy," he said, and thanked the residents of Varanasi for their "immense support" while adding that he wished women voters outnumber men in Varanasi this year.
Earlier in the day, while interacting with party workers, the Prime Minister said that for the first time in the history of independent India, a "pro-incumbency wave has enveloped the nation". "Political pundits will be baffled after this election," he added.
Varanasi is set to go to polls on May 19 in the seventh and final the phase of Lok Sabha elections.
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