Prime minister candidate Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Delhi was marked by a grand welcome from the frenzied party cadres and supporters. He was received by a group of senior BJP leaders, including the newly elected seven BJP MPs, from Delhi.
When Modi stepped out of the Indira Gandhi International Airport after flying in from Gujarat, he flashed a “V” sign to the sea of supporters who had made a beeline for him.
The supporters waved BJP flags, blew conches and danced for drum beats with spontaneous chanting of Modi’s name.
Escorted by elite commandos, Modi took part in the roadshow from the IGI Airport to the party headquarters on Ashoka Road, a distance of about 16 km.
His motorcade passed through Aerocity, National Highway 8, Dhaula Kuan, Sardar Patel Marg, Teen Murti Marg, Akbar Road, Janpath, Windsor Place and Ashoka Road.
On the entire route, the BJP workers on motorcycles waved party flags and supporters in saffron caps and some wearing Modi masks cheered for him.
The prime minister-elect’s SUV usually kept to the left so that he could wave or even make eye contact with supporters who had assembled at various points where his entourage was supposed to stop.
“There is fearlessness in his approach. He has got a good couple of years to show what change means,” said Sanjiv Sharma, a businessman who runs a shop in East Delhi.
At the entire stretch of Janpath, supporters and party workers showered rose petals. On reaching the BJP headquarters, he briefly addressed the supporters and said he was thankful to them for rekindling “new hope” through their hard work.
Due to the roadshow, several roads in south Delhi and central Delhi remained congested. From 10 am, no traffic exiting from IGI Airport Terminal 3 was allowed to go on Central Spine Road and all traffic was diverted towards Centaur Hotel and Mahipalpur on National Highway 8.
