Election procedures will begin at 11:40 AM today when Prime Minister Narendra Modi files his nomination for the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency. He has appointments with NDA leaders at 10:45 AM and the Kaal Bhairav Temple at 10:15 AM before the filing.
Given that Modi's nomination falls between the Hindu Panchang's auspicious 'Abhijit Mahurat' and 'Anand Yog', there is conjecture over its timing. He will be accompanied by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Expect a major political event with leaders from several parties expected to attend, including Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party president Omprakash Rajbhar, Apna Dal (S) president Anupriya Patel, Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary, and LJP chairman Chirag Paswan.
Attending the nomination ceremony are expected to be a large number of chief ministers from various states, including Yogi Adityanath, Nitish Kumar, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Mohan Yadav, Vishnu Deo Sai, Eknath Shinde, Bhajan Lal Sharma, Himanta Biswa Sharma, Nayab Singh Saini, Pramod Sawant, Prem Singh Tamang, and Manik Saha.
With victories in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Varanasi is very important to the BJP and PM Modi. Chief of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Ajay Rai will take on Modi in Varanasi for the third time in an election. At the 2019 elections, Modi won the seat with an astounding 6,74,664 votes, or a vote share of 63.6 percent. Varanasi was one of the two Lok Sabha seats from which Modi ran in 2014.
While Prime Minister Narendra Modi's candidacy file in Varanasi is being anticipated, political pundits conjecture about the timing's strategic importance. Modi's choice to time his itinerary around Hindu Panchang-approved auspicious times like the "Abhijit Mahurat" and the "Anand Yog" highlights the how tradition and modern politics coexist. His ardent fans will find resonance in this purposeful decision, which also conveys to the voters a symbolic message of supernatural backing. With Varanasi representing his political skill and spiritual ties, Modi's nomination ceremony is expected to be a fusion of custom, tactic, and symbolism, laying the groundwork for a hotly contested election.
