BJP salutes Narendra Modi as Delhi, Varanasi accord him hero's welcome

New Delhi: The BJP’s newly-elected parliamentarians will meet on Tuesday to nominate Narendra Modi as their leader before he takes charge as India’s next Prime Minister.

Gearing up to take charge of the nation, Mr Modi appeared to be soft, choosing his words carefully on Saturday when he reached the national capital, a day after the Lok Sabha election results.

Mr Modi thanked BJP workers and people of the country for the spectacular victory. His speech was brief and devoid of any rhetoric. Trying to show a united face, the entire BJP top brass shared the dais.

BJP chief Rajnath Singh made it clear that “no date for the swearing-in ceremony has yet been fixed”.

Feeling blessed after visiting Varanasi. Sought blessings of Baba Vishwanath & Maa Ganga. I thanked people of Varanasi for their affection.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 17, 2014

Despite party veteran L.K. Advani’s reservations on giving Mr Modi credit for the historic win, the BJP PM candidate touched Mr Advani’s feet as the former offered him a laddoo and his blessings when the party’s parliamentary board met. The board adopted a resolution applauding the stewardship of its Prime Ministerial candidate for his “tireless efforts” and “inspirational” leadership.

The resolution said Mr Modi “gave a direction to the campaign with a vision” and also thanked BJP workers, along with “social and cultural organisations”, an apparent reference to the RSS and affiliate groups.