Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday filed his nomination papers from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat of Uttar Pradesh. The Prime Minister is contesting from this constituency for the third consecutive time and is hoping to win by a record margin.

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh welcomed the PM outside the Kalbhairav Temple. Outside the temple, people showered flowers and raised slogans of 'Modi, Modi' and 'Har Har Mahadev' and gave a warm welcome to the Prime Minister.

Before filing his nomination, he offered prayers at the Dashashwamedh Ghat on the banks of the Ganga in the temple town and boarded a cruise to Namo Ghat. Worshiped at Kaal Bhairav Temple in Varanasi and was seen performing Aarti in the temple.

On the auspicious occasion of Ganga Saptami, PM Modi worshiped the river Ganga and also performed Ganga Aarti.

Voting will be held in Varanasi on June 1 in the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections. Varanasi is the stronghold of Bharatiya Janata Party and PM Modi. He won the seat twice in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Congress has fielded Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajay Rai against PM Modi in Varanasi. This is the third time that Ajay Rai will face PM Modi in the Lok Sabha elections.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi won the seat with over 6,74,664 votes and secured 63.6 percent vote share. In 2014, PM Modi contested from two Lok Sabha seats – Vadodara in Gujarat and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

PM Modi reached the DM office of Varanasi wearing full-sleeved white kurta, white churidar and blue jacket.