Narendra Modi's proposers among 23 from Varanasi to attend swearing-in ceremony

VARANASI: The uncertainty over whether Narendra Modi's proposers and prominent leaders here were invited for the swearing-in ceremony on Monday ended with the BJP saying that 23 people from Benaras will be present for the occasion in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Till Saturday night no BJP leader was able to reveal anything but after a telephone conversation with the party headquarters, some leaders and Modi's proposers left for New Delhi. On Sunday morning, Padma Bhushan Chhannulal Mishra left for Delhi by flight while many others boarded trains.

Mayor Ram Gopal Mohaley who has been in Delhi for the past five days said, "No invitation card was sent to anybody in Varanasi. But the list of invitees was ready at party headquarters in Delhi. On the basis of the list, leaders and other dignitaries were asked to reach Delhi. These invitees will collect their cards from BJP headquarters and thereafter attend the ceremony in the evening."

Mohaley said that the list has 23 names including Modi's proposers Justice Giridhar Malviya, Mishra, Virbhadra Nishad and Ashok Kumar. Malviya had also reached Delhi a few days ago while Nishad and Kumar left for Delhi with BJP leaders.

BJP MLAs Shyamdeo Roy Chaudhury, Jyotsana Srivastava and Ravindra Jaiswal, MLC Kedarnath Singh, in-charge of Modi's election campaigning committee Ashok Dhawan, members Ajay Singh, Radhey Mohan Tripathi and Sanjay Rai, Kashi Pranth unit president Laxman Acharya, district unit president Azad Singh Gautam, city chief TS Joshi and other office-bearers of party will attend the ceremony.