At 6.58 pm when the Sun had almost set, a long-standing dream of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi came true when he offered Ganga aarti in the holy river of this ancient city on Saturday. During his electioneering, he could not do the same but finally, succeeded in doing the aarti after helping his party record a landslide victory across the country.
He came to his constituency that gave his political mission a new shape as he is all set to become the country’s next PM. “We all will work together to make the city a spiritual capital and start work of cleanliness from here,” said Modi, while addressing a gathering at Dashaswamedh Ghat.
According to him, it is for the first time since Independence that the people gave a full mandate to a non-Congress party. “Till date we had seen coalition in ruling the Government but for the first time, the country will see a coalition in the Opposition,” he said, adding that earlier when he came here he was stopped even from talking to the people.He said that this mandate was for change as for the first time the people who were born in Independent India will rule the nation.
Along with BJP president Rajnath Singh, the in-charge of party’s UP affairs Amit Shah, State president laxmikant Bajpai and many others also watched the Ganga aarti. While watching the aarti, Modi was in a thoughtful mood, occasionally talking to Rajnath and others. While filing his nomination, he had said he would come here since “Maa Ganga ne bulaya hai…”
Thousands of people were present to have a glimpse of Modi and they welcomed him with slogans of Har Har Mahadev when he came out from Vishwanath gulley. Security personnel had a difficult time helping Modi board his vehicle to go to Dashashwamedh Ghat. Roads between Vishwanath gulley and Dashash-wamedh were packed and thousands of people were watching their popular representative from the rooftops.
At the ghat, hours before his arrival, all arrangements had been made. Modi, along with Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, offered prayer and Rudrabhishek at Kashi Vishwanath temple where the puja was performed by several Brahmins under the guidance of chief of KV Temple Trust PtAshok Dwivedi.
They offered vastra, belpatra, malas of lotus and other flowers and conducted the aarti. later, the priest applied a chandan tilak on the forehead of Modi and others. It was the second time in recent months when Modi visited one of the Dwadasjyotilingas.A few months ago when he arrived here to address Vijay Shanknaad Rally near Raja Talab, he also visited the temple and offered prayer. Then, it was not decided that Modi would contest from Varanasi as the rally was attended by the then sitting local BJP MP Dr Murli Manohar Joshi.
When the motorcade reached lahurabir, several thousands of supporters were present there. Hundreds of supporters of NDA’s alliance partner Apna Dal carrying their flags were also present. The alliance helped AD first time to send its two MPs to the lok Sabha, thanks to the Modi wave that helped both the candidates register thumping victories in Mirzapur and Pratapgarh where party’s general secretary Annupriya Patel and Kunwar Harivansh Singh emerged victorious.
Despite scorching heat, thousands of people were waiting for the motorcade to reach there since 5.00 pm. Similar crowds of supporters were seen at Police lines, Chowkaghat and Teliabagh. After lahurabir, the motorcade passed through densely-populated city areas. Security personnel piloting the cavalcade faced a lot of problems, controlling the mobs between Piplani crossing to Maidagin via Kabirchaura and lohatia and from Maidagin crossing to Chowk through Bulanana and Nichibagh. Elaborate security arrangements were made as a huge number of para-military personnel were deployed there and security personnel were on high alert.
It was a hectic day for the BJP. Right from morning, party workers were active in decorating crossings along the route from which Modi’s motorcade was scheduled to pass through. The city was plastered with saffron posters and flags as party leaders got the opportunity to welcome Modi. After the start of polling process, he visit Varanasi twice and both times, despite several restrictions, lakhs of Banarasis turned out on the roads, which reflected in the poll outcome. Aam Admi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal, who surprised the nation, defeating the then Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, could not challenge Modi here, though his party’s top leaders and cadres were campaigning here visiting every lane and sub-lane, village to village wooing different sections. Despite becoming target No. 1 by the rivals in absentia, the city remained gripped in NaMo fever giving him a thumping victory. The post-poll visit of Modi witnessed the same spirit among party workers as well as majority of Banarasis, packed on along roads on several mile-long routes, chanting “Modi, Modi”.