PM Modi to visit Varanasi today

Preparations are going on in full swing in Varanasi ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to his parliamentary constituency today after getting a landslide victory in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

Banners have been put at various places in the city featuring photographs of Modi.

"We are keenly waiting for Prime Minister Modi to visit Varanasi. It is heartening to see that he will be our Prime Minister again," said a local.

Another one added, "A lot of development work was done in Varanasi. Now we are just hoping that the same will happen in the next five years as well."

Three days before taking oath as the Prime Minister for a second consecutive term, Modi will hold a roadshow in Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, and will address the BJP workers.

The chief priest of Kashi Vishwanath temple, Acharya Ashok Dwivedi, who will perform puja with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, said the Varanasi MP has the blessings of Lord Shiva and mother Ganga has accepted him.

Admiring the success of Modi in the Lok Sabha elections, Dwivedi told ANI, "Baba Shiv and Maa Ganga have accepted him. Prime Minister has blessings of Baba with him. Our Prime Minister is the most respected leader."

"This is our fortune that Prime Minister will perform puja with all rituals like he did in 2014 Lok Sabha and state elections. He is the biggest devotee of Vishwanath baba. Even before the rituals start, he devotes himself to god, you can see tears of devotion in his eyes", he added.

Modi is expected to visit the famous temple at around 10 am. He is also expected to hold a five-kilometre-long roadshow in the constituency to celebrate his massive victory in the Lok Sabha elections.

After the 'darshan' and 'puja' at Kashi Vishwanath temple, the Prime Minister is scheduled to address the BJP workers at Deendayal Hastkala Sankul.

Modi defeated his Samajwadi Party (SP) rival Shalini Yadav by a margin of over 4.80 lakh votes in the Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi. The BJP, which had won 282 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, managed to increase its tally and notched up 303 seats in the 2019 elections.