PM Modi Heads For Himalayan Pilgrimage Ahead Of Poll Results

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the Kedarnath shrine in Uttarakhand ahead of the election results on May 23. While he remains confident about the BJP’s victory, various pollsters have thrown up conflicting poll projections.

On Sunday, he is also scheduled to offer prayers at the Badrinath shrine. There are reports that Modi might also undertake a short trip to his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi before the election results to seek the blessings of the presiding deities there.

The stakes are high both for the BJP as well as for the Opposition Congress and regional satraps including the BJD, YSR Congress, the SP-BSP alliance and TMC. While TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has thrown an open challenge to see Modi out of power, a dismissive Modi is hopeful of wresting a good number of seats from the TMC in Bengal.

Exit poll results will begin to trickle in from Sunday evening as soon as the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha polls concludes. In 2014, most of them had correctly projected an impressive victory for the BJP-led NDA, but psephologists concede the projections this time around may vary appreciably.

Before the results are announced, Opposition leaders led by Congress are also set to meet on May 21 to hammer out their strategy after the results are announced.

There is a strong buzz that Prime Minister Modi might also meet top RSS functionaries ahead of the poll results. Some reports have claimed that he will meet RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on May 20 to discuss the various scenarios in the aftermath of the poll results to be announced on May 23.

This has fuelled speculation that he could be seeking the Sangh Parivar’s backing for the prime ministerial post, amidst rumours that in case the BJP falls short of a majority, the RSS may propose the name of another BJP leader to appease members of the National Democratic Alliance.