Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the holy Hindu city of Varanasi on Tuesday surrounded by his party leaders and supporters as he formally filed paperwork to run in an ongoing election that is essentially a referendum on his decade in power.
The 73-year-old leader hopes to retain his seat in Varanasi, the constituency from where he ran and won, first in 2014 and then again in 2019.
India’s gigantic, six-week-long general election began in April, with voting set to go on until June 1 before votes are counted on June 4.