Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday filed his nomination papers from the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, with Pandit Ganeshwar Shastri, who determined the 'muhurat' for the pran-pratishtha of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, sitting beside him as one of his four proposers.
The other three proposers for Prime Minister Narendra Modi were Baijnath Patel - an RSS volunteer from the OBC (Other Backward Classes) community, Lalchand Kushwaha - also belonging to the OBC community, and Sanjay Sonkar - belonging to the Dalit community.
(As per the Election Commission, candidates in the poll fray need to have at least one proposer, who must be a registered elector of the Assembly or parliamentary constituency for which they endorse a candidate's nomination. The nomination papers of the candidate must be signed by the proposer as well as the candidate.)
Union Ministers and leaders of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were present as the Prime Minister signed his nomination papers.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP national president JP Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, LJP-Ram Vilas chief Chirag Paswan, Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha were among those present on the occasion.
Ahead of filing his nomination, PM Modi today offered prayers to River Ganga at the Dasaswamedh Ghat.
PM Modi also visited the Kaal Bhairav Temple in the city.
Speaking exclusively to India Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Dasaswamedh Ghat, said he felt he had been invited to the city by 'Ma Ganga' (River Ganga).
As he turned emotional, the Prime Minister also said the locals of Varanasi have turned him into a 'Banarasiya' (a resident of Banaras, presently called Varanasi).
Earlier today, the Prime Minister said his relationship with Kashi (another name for Varanasi) is "inseparable and incomparable".
In an X post, PM Modi shared a video of him expressing his love for Kashi, and how his relationship with River Ganga has evolved over the years.
The video also showed the Prime Minister performing puja and darshan, along with many of his roadshows, during his various visits to his city.
"When I went to Kashi in 2014, I felt I was invited to the city by 'Ma Ganga'. However, today, after 10 years of my visit to Kashi, I can say 'Aaj Ma Ganga ne mujhe god le liya hai' (today Ma Ganga has adopted me)," PM Modi said in the video.
"Ten years have passed, and my bond with Kashi has only grown stronger, and I now refer to it as 'my Kashi'. I feel a mother-son relationship with Kashi," an emotional Prime Minister Modi said.
"It is a democracy, and I will continue to seek the blessings of the people. However, my relationship with Kashi is something different," he said.
PM Modi, who first contested from Varanasi in 2014 as BJP's prime ministerial candidate, is seeking a third consecutive term from the Varanasi seat, where voting will be held on June 1 in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha election.
On Monday, PM Modi on Monday held a dazzling roadshow in Varanasi and vowed to do a lot more to serve the holy city in his third term.
