Prime Minister Modi today said that he was "honoured" by the presence of his "valued NDA allies" in Varanasi today.

"I am honoured by the presence of our valued NDA allies in Kashi today. Our alliance represents a commitment to national progress and fulfilling regional aspirations. We will work together for the progress of India in the years to come," he posted on X, and shared pictures with his the ruling coalition's members.

I am honoured by the presence of our valued NDA allies in Kashi today. Our alliance represents a commitment to national progress and fulfilling regional aspirations. We will work together for the progress of India in the years to come. pic.twitter.com/beAMbWLpD3

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 14, 2024

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde, his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma, NCP leader Praful Patel, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan, Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular founder Jitan Ram Manjhi, Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha, UP minister and NISHAD party chief Sanjay Nishad, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief Omprakash Rajbhar, RLD Chief Jayant Chaudhary, LJP (Ram Vilas) Chief Chirag Paswan, Anbumani Ramadoss, GK Vasan, Devanathan Yadav, Tushar Vellappalli and Atul Bora were among those NDA members who were present at the collectorate for PM Modi's nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today filed his nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seats for the third time and said that it is an "honour" to serve the people of this "historic seat". In a post on X, he also said that the pace of work will get "even faster" in the coming times.

"Filed my nomination papers as a candidate for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. It is an honour to serve the people of this historic seat. With the blessings of the people, there have been remarkable achievements over the last decade. This pace of work will get even faster in the times to come," he wrote on X.

Filed my nomination papers as a candidate for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. It is an honour to serve the people of this historic seat. With the blessings of the people, there have been remarkable achievements over the last decade. This pace of work will get even faster in the… pic.twitter.com/QOgELYnnJg

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 14, 2024

The four proposers of PM Narendra Modi's nomination from Varanasi were Pandit Ganeshwar Shastri, Baijnath Patel, Lalchand Kushwaha and Sanjay Sonkar.

While Mr Shastri was the one who decided the auspicious time for the consecration event at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Mr Patel has been a long-time RSS functionary.

Mr Kushwaha hails from the OBC category and Mr Sonkar, a Dalit, is the general secretary of the BJP's Varanasi district unit.

Among the four proposers, Mr Shastri and Mr Patel were present during PM Modi's nomination filing.

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) national president Chirag Paswan said that the support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nomination filing is an example of the unity of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. 

Mr Paswan, who was among scores of NDA leaders present in Varanasi for Prime Minister's nomination filing, also said that the Opposition INDIA blocs lacks unity. 

"The way the entire NDA has come together in support of the Prime Minister, that is our strength. On the other side, the Opposition is divided...," he told the news agency ANI.

#WATCH | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: On PM Modi's nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat, LJP-Ram Vilas chief, Chirag Paswan says, "The way the entire NDA has come together in support of the Prime Minister, that is our strength. On the other side, opposition is divided...I believe… pic.twitter.com/yS4XKfAqZO

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met NDA leaders after filing his nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat. 

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets NDA leaders including Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, and others in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
PM Modi filed his nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat today.… pic.twitter.com/Tap9l2cVIX

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

(Photo credit: PTI)

The Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency witnessed a historic clash in 2014 when Prime Minister Modi, who was then the BJP's newly picked prime ministerial candidate, contested against AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. 

The battle ended with PM Modi emerging victorious with a margin of over 3 lakh votes.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi defended the seat and won it by a margin of more than 4 lakh votes.

READ | The Numbers Game In Varanasi, PM Modi's Constituency

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi filed nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for #LokSabhaElections2024
Union Ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, and other NDA leaders… pic.twitter.com/0NaSMFN8BS

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

After filing his nomination from Varanasi, PM Modi met the BJP's NDA partners outside the collectorate office. 

Many NDA members, including Eknath Shinde, Ramdas Athawale, Praful Patel, Chandrababu Naidu, Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan have come to Varanasi to show their support for the prime minister.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves from the DM office in Varanasi after filing his nomination for #LokSabhaElections2024
Union Ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, and… pic.twitter.com/6fgfr0oasJ

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

Ahead of filing his nomination from Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also prayed at the Kaal Bhairav Temple in the city.

He was received by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Uttar Pradesh outside the temple.

It is believed that anyone who comes to Kashi (Varanasi) needs to seek permission from Kaal Bhairav for the visit.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at the Kaal Bhairav Temple in Varanasi ahead of filing his nomination for #LokSabhaElections2024
PM is the sitting MP and BJP's candidate from Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/wmizZPsqjk

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

PM Modi has now filed his nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat with Yogi Adityanath in attendance.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi files nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for #LokSabhaElections2024 pic.twitter.com/lSgGcPiNjR

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi files nomination from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for #LokSabhaElections2024
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is also present on the occasion. pic.twitter.com/woWNPgqdiG

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

PM Narendra Modi has now arrived at the collectorate office to file his nomination for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for the third consecutive time.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the DM office in Varanasi, to file his nomination for #LokSabhaElections2024
PM is the sitting MP and BJP's candidate from Varanasi. pic.twitter.com/8QEsR0u6OX

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda have arrived at the office in Varanasi, where PM Narendra Modi will file his nomination for Lok Sabha elections.

#WATCH | Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and NDA leaders arrive at DM office in Varanasi, ahead of PM Modi's nomination filing for Lok Sabha elections pic.twitter.com/4xOezpR8BD

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

Besides several Union ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, the BJP's NDA partners JD(U) supreme and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary, LJP chief Chirag Paswan, Apna Dal (S) president Anupriya Patel and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party president Omprakash Rajbhar are expected to be present for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nomination filing in Varanasi.

Chief ministers of the BJP and NDA-ruled states -- Pushkar Singh Dhami (Uttarakhand), Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh), Vishnu Deo Sai (Chhattisgarh), Eknath Shinde (Maharashtra), Bhajan Lal Sharma (Rajasthan), Himanta Biswa Sharma (Assam), Nayab Singh Saini (Haryana), Pramod Sawant (Goa), Prem Singh Tamang (Sikkim) and Manik Saha (Tripura) -- are also likely to accompany PM Modi to the collectorate for his nomination filing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the roadshow that he held in his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency on Monday has now become an "unforgettable moment" in his life.

Ahead of filing his nomination papers, PM Modi also shared the glimpses of the six-kilometre long roadshow on his official social media platforms.

"The love and blessings that my family members of Kashi showered on me during the road show has become an unforgettable moment in my life," he wrote in Hindi.

काशी के मेरे परिवारजनों ने रोड शो में जो स्नेह और आशीर्वाद बरसाया, वह मेरे जीवन का अविस्मरणीय क्षण बन गया है। pic.twitter.com/dKxsmzX7N4

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 14, 2024

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu, who is in alliance with the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, said that PM Modi is going to become the Prime Minister for the third time. 

Speaking to the news agency ANI ahead of PM Modi's nomination in Varanasi, he called it a "historical occasion". 

"PM Modi is going to become the Prime Minister for the third time. He has done extremely well in the last 10 years. The country needs him. India is going to play a major role globally. NDA is going to get 400 plus seats," Mr Naidu said.

#WATCH | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh: Former Andhra Pradesh CM and TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu says "It is a historical occasion. It is a holy place. PM Modi is going to become the Prime Minister for the third time. He has done extremely well in the last 10 years. The country needs… pic.twitter.com/0aDEUa6DYi

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

Several Union ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, chief ministers of BJP and NDA-ruled states and other leaders of the BJP are likely to accompany PM Narendra Modi to the collectorate for his nomination filing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered prayers at Dashashwamedh Ghat on the banks of the Ganges in Varanasi before filling his nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat today in Uttar Pradesh.

Today also marks the auspicious day of Ganga Saptami and PM Modi participated in prayers and performed the Ganga Aarti at the Ghat. PM Modi will file his nomination papers from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for the 2024 general elections, from where he has secured wins with large margins for the past two consecutive terms.

#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Dasaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi pic.twitter.com/WKQ9is8856

— ANI (@ANI) May 14, 2024

A BJP stronghold for decades, the profile of the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency was raised even higher in 2014 when it saw a high-stakes contest between Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today file his nomination from Varanasi for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, seeking a third term from the constituency.