Victory parade reaches Varanasi

Lucknow: Amidst the smell of incense, the fragrance of roses and blowing of conch shells and pealing of bells at sunset,  Narendra Modi, India’s next Prime Minister, attended the famous ‘Ganga aarti’ on the Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi on Saturday, a day after he was elected with a huge margin from here to the Lok Sabha.

Mr Modi, accompanied by his trusted aide Amit Shah, BJP president Rajnath Singh, state president Laxmi-kant Bajpai and  Anu-priya Patel, the newly elected MP from Mirzapur, sat through the  ‘Ganga aarti’ and then the ‘Shiva aarti’ looking completely at peace and somewhat emotionally overwhelmed.

The PM designate was seated with other leaders on a specially constructed dais decorated with marigolds and roses. He performed ‘Ganga Pujan’ bef-ore the aarti began. The ghat had been decorated and entry was strictly regulated. Only party leaders and eminent citizens who had been iss-ued entry passes were allowed to witness the event.

He, addressed the people from the Dashashwamedh Ghat and thanked them for his victory. “I came here as a candidate but Maa Ganga’s blessings turned me into a son... I am confident that Maa Ganga will give me directions to implement my agenda and cleaning the river is now my mission,” he said. Recalling his cla-sh with the EC that had denied him permission for a rally, Mr Modi said, “As a candidate, I was not allowed to establish a dialogue with you but you accepted my silence and gave me victory.”

Earlier, Mr Modi landed at the Babatpur airport and then took a copter to the Police Lines from where he drove to the Kashi Vishwanath temple and performed ‘Rudra Abhishek’ along with Mr Shah and Rajnath Singh.