Making his way to a temple, a journey rich in symbolism, PM Modi arrived in Varanasi to pray in one of the holiest cities in India before heading to the election office in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh state, flanked by Amit Shah, president of his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janta Party, and several state chief ministers. He was there to file his nomination papers for the general election. “Mother Ganga will take care of me” He told his supporters. “Last time when I contested nobody told me to come here, nobody sent me to Varanasi. Mother Ganga has invited me,” he added. With around 1.7m voters, Varanasi will go the polls on May 19. The election is increasingly being viewed as a referendum on Modi and his party. Critics of PM Modi say his party’s Hindu nationalism has resulted in a fractured harmony among the majority Hindus, some of whom have been swayed over by Hindu nationalism, and the religious minorities living in India including Christians and Muslims.