>> PARTIES NEED TO ALLY,

VARANASI: Fresh from the BJP’s massive electoral victory in the Lok Sabha polls, Narendra Modi on Saturday said that parties outside the ruling coalition may have to stitch an alliance to formally attain the status of an Opposition.

Addressing a gathering on the banks of the river Ganga Modi said that so far the country has always been ruled either by the Congress, “or except for the period under (Atal) Vajpayee’s rule, by loose coalitions headed by people formerly associated with the Congress,” adding that “this election marks a new beginning even on that count.”

In his first visit to the temple town after having won from the seat by a margin of 3.7 lakh votes, the BJP PM-designate said, “The people of the country have given a tight slap to all those parties which are not with the NDA. Now all these parties may end up forming an alliance just to attain the status of a formally recognisable

› THE PEOPLE OF THE COUNTRY HAVE GIVEN A TIGHT SLAP TO ALL THOSE PARTIES WHICH ARE NOT WITH THE NDA

NARENDRA MODI, PM designate

opposition,” he said.

The main Opposition party must hold at least 1/10th of the total Lok Sabha seats. Congress suffered its worst electoral defeat bagging just 44 seats.

Speaking at the Dashashwamedh Ghat after offering prayers to the Ganga river, Modi said that after being elected, he has now become “the son of Varanasi”. “I was stopped from speaking to my people in Varanasi. In spite of that, people voted for me,” he said.

“They put a stamp on my silence” Modi said in an indirect reference to the Election Commission for having denied him permission to hold an election rally in Beniyabagh area of the city.