Modi seeks blessings from 'proposer' before nomination

Before filing his nomination papers for the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched the feet of academician Annapurna Shukla, one of the four proposers' of his candidature.

Among the others is 'Dom Raja' Jagdish Chowdhary, the chief cremator' at Varanasi's Manikarnika ghat and hails from the Dom community that helps perform the last rites there.

Agriculture scientist Ram Shanker Patel and long-time BJP worker Subhash Chander Gupta are the other two proposers.

Patel has known the prime minister since he was Gujarat chief minister.

Annapurna Shukla, whose feet Modi touched as a mark of respect, later said she blessed him so that he can continue with his good work.

Shukla is a doctor and former principal of the women's college of the Banaras Hindu University.

She was considered close to BHU founder Madan Mohan Malaviya and is known as his manasputri.