KATRA: Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday offered prayers at the holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi atop Trikuta hills in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, officials said.

Thakur was in Jammu to join a roadshow and a public meeting organised by the BJP ahead of its candidate Jugal Kishore filing nomination papers from the Jammu Lok Sabha seat which is going to polls in the second phase on April 26.

"I am a regular visitor of the revered shrine. The blessings of Mata are with the people of the country. Our Bharat continues to move forward under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and we continue to do good for the poor and develop the nation," Thakur said before leaving Katra for the shrine.

Besides Kishore, independent candidate Surinder Singh also filed his nomination papers in the office of the returning officer of the Jammu Lok Sabha constituency, taking the number of candidates who have filed nominations to four.

The last day for filing nomination papers for the Lok Sabha seat is April 4.