Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi on Wednesday, where he offered prayers and performed darshan.

A large crowd gathered at Lahurabir crossing to welcome the Prime Minister as he arrived in his parliamentary constituency and prepared for a major roadshow through the city.

BJP MLA Ravindra Jaiswal told ANI, “Whenever PM Modi comes to Kashi, he announces new inaugurations before leaving… Today, he is going to seek (Kashi Vishwanath) Baba’s blessings… Today, the news spread that he is coming, and the people of Varanasi could not stop themselves and thronged the road to get a glimpse and greet him.”

Separately, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the 594-kilometre-long Ganga Expressway at Meerut today. The six-lane greenfield corridor, expandable to eight lanes, was constructed at a cost of Rs 36,230 crore. The expressway passes through 12 districts: Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj. It aims to provide seamless high-speed connectivity across western, central, and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Meerut District Magistrate and Collector Vijay Kumar Singh stated on Tuesday that there is notable public enthusiasm for the Ganga Expressway, highlighting its potential to significantly improve connectivity to Prayagraj and the state capital, Lucknow. He said, “The Prime Minister’s main program for the Ganga Expressway is scheduled for Hardoi district tomorrow… People are very happy that this expressway will improve connectivity not only between Prayagraj but also the capital Lucknow, saving them about two hours. As far as the trial run of the expressway is concerned, the riding quality and other aspects of our district are excellent. This government has built a world-standard road, and people are very happy with this government’s work…”