Ahead of the seventh and last phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to his constituency of Varanasi and asked them to "make a new record on June 1".
In his video message for the voters of Varanasi, the PM said that election for Kashi is not only for the creation of 'Navkashi' but also a developed nation. "The people of Kashi have to make a new record on 1st June," he added.
For PM Modi, Varanasi is a city of "devotion, power and detachment". He said that the city is the world's cultural capital and the land of music.
"Being the representative of this city is possible only with the immense grace of Baba Vishwanath and the blessings of you Kashi residents," he said in his message to the voters.
Remembering the enthralled youth he saw on the day he filed his nomination for the general elections from Varanasi, PM Modi said that "Kashi has become the capital of youth welfare and development in the last 10 years".
"Now this enthusiasm should be seen at every booth, this is my request," the Prime Minister said.
He urged voters to go and cast their votes in Kashi in large numbers on June 1, with a special request to the youth, women power and farmers of Kashi.
"Each and every vote of yours will increase my strength, will give me new energy. You people have to remember that first vote then refreshment," PM Modi said.
Modi filed his nomination from the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat on May 14 after offering prayers at the Dashashwamedh Ghat and the Kaal Bhairav temple in the city.
He has remained undefeated from the constituency since 2014, when he contested the general elections for the first time. This year, he is eyeing a hattrick from the seat.
Notably, Congress fielded its party's Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai against Modi from the Varanasi seat. He is considered a local strongman in the region and has changed his political affiliations several times.
Voting for the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha elections will begin at 7 am on June 1, Saturday. Following this, the counting of the votes will take place on June 4.
