Locals, including women and children, presented flowers to the prime minister.

Varanasi (Part 1):

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a warm reception at the Varanasi airport on Saturday as he arrived here days after being nominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party for the Varanasi Lok Sabha seat for the third time.

Bharatiya Janata Party workers and locals lined the road outside the airport, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a 28-km roadshow from where he also stopped to pray at the Kashgar Golden Temple.

#watch | Prime Minister Narendra Modi holds a roadshow in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/1Ors42a6JQ

— ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2024

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, senior party leaders and officials were present at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport in Babatpur to welcome the Prime Minister.

Pray at the Kashgar Golden Temple. Haha Mahadev! pic.twitter.com/sDeJIdioYF

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 9, 2024

Bharatiya Janata Party district president Dilip Patel said Varanasi district and metropolitan units have made elaborate arrangements for Modi’s visit.

He said that during the roadshow, locals, including women and children, presented flowers to the prime minister amid beating drums.

Prime Minister Modi also plans to visit Atulanand School in Gilat Bazaar and Kabir Chaura and other places during the roadshow, Patel said.

Patel said the Prime Minister will stay overnight at the BLW Hotel. On the second day of his visit on Sunday, he will depart for Azamgarh from the Bareka helipad at around 10 am.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)