Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday capped a day of electioneering in Uttar Pradesh with prayers at the Ram Temple and followed it up with a massive roadshow in Ayodhya, his first political event in the holy town in this round of elections.

In a televised ceremony two days before the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Modi was seen prostrating before the idol of Ram Lalla amid the blowing of conch shells, a shower of flower petals and chants of “Jai Shri Ram”.

The hearts of the people of Ayodhya are as big as Lord Shri Ram. Greetings to the people who came to give blessings in the road show!,” Modi later said in post on X.

Ten constituencies in UP — Sambhal, Hathras, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah, Badaun, Bareilly, and Aonla —will vote in the third phase on Tuesday. Voting in the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, under which the Ayodhya district falls, will take place in the fifth phase of the elections on May 20.

The Prime Minister embarked on the roadshow after offering prayers at the temple. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Faizabad candidate Lallu Singh accompanied him.