His arrival at the spot sent the crowd into a frenzy. There were resonating slogans of "Narendra Modi, Zindabad!". Modi greeted the party activists with a wave of hands.
From there began the roadshow, with his confidant Amit Shah in company. No other nationally known BJP leader could be spotted.
As Modi's vehicle inched its way to the district magistrate's office, people showered rose petals on him. Many were perched on the road dividers and many more watched the show from windows and roofs of homes on both sides of the roads.
"Modiji is our future, and the entire BHU is with him," said an undergraduate student of the university wearing a Modi mask -- like many others.
Modi's main opponents here are Kejriwal and Ajay Rai of the Congress.
With around 1.6 million voters, Varanasi will go the polls May 12 -- the last round of the staggered general election.
Here are the live updates of Narendra Modi filing nomination:
