Patna (Bihar): Bihar's capital Patna stood in thrall to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday when the leader held a spectacular roadshow here in the thick of Lok Sabha elections. A distance of about a kilometre and a half was covered by the Prime Minister, who stood atop a vehicle painted in the hue of saffron and bedecked with flowers and images of the leader and cutouts of the lotus, the BJP's poll symbol.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose Janata Dal (United) is a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner, Deputy Chief Minister and Bihar BJP president Samrat Choudhary and local MP Ravi Shankar Prasad were perched beside Modi as he waved at the euphoric crowds shrieking with joy from beyond iron barricades put up by security personnel.
The BJP, which depends heavily on the prime minister's persona in elections, had demonstrably worked hard to make The Modi Show, the name given to the Patna event, a grand success.
The vehicle, on which the leader stood, followed a swarm of women supporters, dressed in saffron saris with turbans of the same shade on their heads, besides badges inscribed with the lotus pinned on their dresses.
Known for his ability to strike a rapport with the common people, Modi waved at the citizens, many of them standing on balconies or beside windows of their houses, which were decorated with mini bulbs and flowers to welcome the leader.
On the streets, many bystanders furiously clicked on their cell phones to capture the momentous occasion, while others stood waving placards and banners with slogans in praise of the PM.
Modi, who became the first Prime Minister to have held a roadshow anywhere in Bihar, charmed the citizens with his humility when he bowed down with folded hands to greet groups of priests who stood on either side of the road, performing an 'aarati' in the honour of the leader.
The PM arrived here in the evening, after a day of gruelling poll campaign in West Bengal, and was greeted at the airport by leaders like Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha, Bihar Assembly Speaker Nand Kishore Yadav and the BJP's Bihar general secretary in charge Bhikhu Bhai Dalsania.
PM Modi drove straight to Bhattacharjee Road, the point of commencement of the roadshow which concluded at Udyog Bhavan, a stone's throw from the historic Gandhi Maidan where Modi delivered his famous maiden speech in Bihar more than eight years ago, unfazed by bombs going off at the venue.
Chants of mantras and blowing of conch shells reverberated through the landscape as the PM climbed atop the vehicle, which party supporters called a rath, a veritable chariot that would propel the BJP-led NDA towards electoral victory.
People from various faiths seemed to have come out on the streets to welcome the PM, with many burqa-clad women spotted among the citizens, joining the chorus of Jai Shri Ram.
Many onlookers also flashed their cell phone lights, obviously drawing inspiration from rallies of Modi where he has been known to make people do the same by way of showing solidarity.
After retiring for the night at the Bihar Raj Bhavan, PM Modi is scheduled to pay a visit to the famous Sikh shrine Takht Harmandir Patna Sahib before addressing rallies in Hajipur, Muzaffarpur and Saran, which go to polls in the subsequent phase.
