Photo: Collected
Cheering supporters waving saffron flags lined the streets of one of India's holiest cities on Monday (13 May) as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived to rally votes from the Hindu faithful.
India is in the middle of a six-week election widely expected to deliver Modi a third term, in large part due to his cultivated image as an aggressive champion of the country's majority faith.
That includes Varanasi, the spiritual capital of the Hindu faith, where devotees from around India come to cremate deceased loved ones by the Ganges river.
"Modi has reinvigorated the Hindus like never before. He is the custodian of our faith and that is why I love him," said bank manager Ritesh Kumar. Like tens of thousands of others, Kumar waited for hours in sweltering early summer temperatures to catch a glance of the leader.
"Hindus are thriving today because of Modi," the 47-year-old said.
"Thanks to Modi, I feel proud to call myself a Hindu."
Modi has represented Varanasi since the election that swept him to power a decade ago, and the immense crowd that gathered to greet him was a testament to his enduring popularity there.
As with his prior appearances there on the campaign trail, tens of thousands of supporters thronged the roadside.
Many waved flags bearing the lotus emblem of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as Modi was driven past atop a flatbed truck, flanked by unsmiling bodyguards.
The flags, the truck, the balloons lining the route, the marigold flowers cast in Modi's direction and the premier's garments were all coloured saffron, the traditional colour of the Hindu faith.
Folk troupes along the route performed traditional dance routines to nationalistic songs blared from loudspeakers as the convoy moved by.
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