BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Thursday visited Sri Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala Hills and offered puja. He was accompanied by senior party leaders M Venkaiah Naidu, Prakash Javadekar, film star Pavan Kalyan and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu.
Modi, who spent the night in Tirupati, reached Tirumala Temple as soon as the time for ‘VIP darshan’ started. He was formally welcomed by the officials of the Tirumala Tirupati Devsthanam and taken to the main temple for darshan. AV Ramana Deekshitulu, head priest of the temple, conducted the rituals.MG Gopal, Executive Officer of the TTD offered Modi and other visitors the prasad of the temple.later speaking at a meeting in Madanapalle, Modi said that it was his good fortune that he was launching his election campaign in Seemandhra from the holy land of Tirupati. “NT Rama Rao (TDP founder) also used to start every important work by remembering bhagwan Venkateshwara,” he said.
“Rabindarnath Tagore had called this place Shantiniketan of South. Annie Besant had also graced this land,” he said.