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India PM Modi thanks Varanasi voters for massive mandate | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thanked voters in the northern city of Varanasi for giving him a thumping mandate. | |
"Varanasi has given me so much love and strength. It's down to my luck that I contested here," he told his supporters in the city on Monday. | |
Massive crowds greeted him and waved at him as his convoy drove through the city. | |
Mr Modi retained his seat by a margin of nearly half a million votes. | |
An alliance led by Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the general election, winning 354 seats in the 545-member lower house or Lok Sabha. | An alliance led by Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the general election, winning 354 seats in the 545-member lower house or Lok Sabha. |
In Varanasi, Mr Modi was received by Ram Naik, the governor of Uttar Pradesh, the state where Varanasi is located. He prayed at the city's historic Kashi Vishwanath temple before delivering a speech. | |
He had special words of praise for BJP workers. | |
"For the country, I am prime minister. But for you, I am an ordinary party worker," he told them. | |
He dismissed the predictions of analysts who had said the BJP would lose seats: "They [political pundits] don't want to change. They are fit for 20th Century but not for the 21st Century. Some of the pundits may have biodata running into 50 pages and PhDs, but a common party worker on the ground knew better." | |
BBC Hindi's Nitin Srivastava, who is in Varanasi, said residents of the city were "out in full force" despite the heavy security deployed there. | |
"Traditional musicians and folk artistes have also been deployed along the streets of Varanasi for a grand welcome," our correspondent adds. | "Traditional musicians and folk artistes have also been deployed along the streets of Varanasi for a grand welcome," our correspondent adds. |
"We have given him the mandate and now expect him to take Varanasi in the list of top five cities of the world," Ram Kumar, a sweetshop owner, told him. | |
Mr Modi, who had won a massive mandate in 2014 from the constituency, saw his victory margin increase by more than 100,000 votes this time. | Mr Modi, who had won a massive mandate in 2014 from the constituency, saw his victory margin increase by more than 100,000 votes this time. |
The verdict saw massive celebrations in the streets of the city on Thursday, when the results were announced. | The verdict saw massive celebrations in the streets of the city on Thursday, when the results were announced. |
Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 MPs to parliament, also saw the BJP win 62 seats in the state. | Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 MPs to parliament, also saw the BJP win 62 seats in the state. |
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