The circumference of several roundabouts in Central Delhi were decorated with strings of BJP flags and at a distance of every few metres a poster was seen fluttering in the wind showing India’s 15th Prime Minister Narendra Modi hugging the party’s national president Rajnath Singh.
At the bottom of the poster is a smaller image of Delhi unit chief Harsh Vardhan with messages of “hearty congratulations”.
Apart from party flags, banners and large posters of Mr. Modi, Lutyens’ Delhi was largely the way it always is on a normal day -- clean, green and without clutter. Maintained by both the New Delhi Municipal Council and the Central Public Works Department, the area which on Monday played host to the swearing-in-ceremony of the new government, did not see any last minute work being carried out.
In fact, the roundabout at the intersection of Ashoka Road and Parliament Street, only a few minutes away from all the action, was dug up by the NDMC to install electric cables.
“As such we weren’t given any specific instructions for the ceremony. We made sure there is constant supply of water and electricity and our Horticulture Department has also been working hard to maintain green spaces,” said a senior NDMC official.
“Central Delhi is always maintained well. Perhaps, you can say we cleaned a bit more than usual leading up to Monday,” he added.
Over the weekend, the CPWD provided a fresh coat of paint on the central verge leading up to Vijay Chowk, the NDMC trimmed excess bushes and provided a fresh paint of yellow, black and white on the curbs in various areas.
The kerbs especially near Hotel Taj Mansingh, where Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is staying, were spruced up in patches.
In Connaught Place, in the heart of the city, people continued to mill around like any other day.
A popular TV channel that had set up shop on the roof of the Palika Bazaar Shopping Complex for the election season was seen packing up its equipment.
Outside the national party office of the BJP, music composer A.R. Rehman’s famous song Maa TujheSalaam accompanied a picture of Mr. Modi’s mother feeding him a sweet after his party’s astounding victory in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
