"Varanasi is like mother...," PM Modi says 'Maa Ganga has adopted me'

New Delhi [India], May 6 : Calling Varanasi his "mother," Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with Times Now, emphasised that his relationship with Kashi is not like that between a constituency and its representative, it is like a mother-son relationship.
In an interview with Times Now, PM Modi asserted that he is "a little emotional" regarding Kashi.
"Kashi will be voting in the last phase of the polls. The voting process in UP takes place from west to east, so Kashi will be voting in the last phase of the polls. My party has decided to field me as the candidate once again from Kashi, but I am a little emotional regarding that, whether it's politically or otherwise," PM Modi said.
When asked about the bond he shares with Kashi, PM Modi said that he is so connected with Kashi that whenever he speaks, he always refers to it as "his Kashi."
"When I went to Kashi in 2014, my candidature was decided at the last moment, so after the nomination procedure, when the people from the media spoke to me, I casually said, I admit that at that time, I was not prepared. I said that I didn't come here, no one sent me here, I am here because Maa Ganga asked me to come. Today, after 10 years, I can say that Maa Ganga has adopted me. In the last 10 years, I have been so connected with Kashi that whenever I speak, I say that it's my Kashi. It's like a relationship between a mother and a son. That's the relationship I share with Kashi. Democracy is there; I will fill out the nomination papers, I will seek blessings from the people, and I am sure the people will also bless me. But I want to highlight that this relationship is not like that between a constituency and its representative. This relationship is a different experience altogether and that's why candidature, nomination, and elections are all processes of democracy, I will fulfil it," he asserted.
Responding to when he is going to file a nomination from Varanasi, PM Modi said that most probably by May 13-14.
"Most probably by 13-14 May. I still have a lot of events to attend, so we'll adjust the time accordingly," he said.
The Prime Minister further asserted that the people of Kashi have shown a lot of love on him.
"It's the duty of a public representative, but I never felt like I was from Gujarat. The people of Kashi showered me with so much love that I can't even imagine," he asserted.
Varanasi is the stronghold of the Prime Minister who won the seat twice in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
BJP has again fielded PM Modi from Varanasi and Congress has fielded Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai.
This will be the most anticipated contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Narendra Modi won the constituency in both the 2014 and 2019 general polls with a resounding majority.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, PM Modi won the seat with over 674,664 votes and commanded a vote share of 63.6 per cent.
Earlier in 2014, PM Modi fought on two Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat's Vadodara and the second was Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi.
The Varanasi seat comprises five Assembly segments including Rohaniya, Varanasi North, Varanasi South, Varanasi Cantt, Sevapuri.
The voting for the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency will be held in the seventh phase of the elections on June 1. The counting of the votes will be held on June 4.