Narendra Modi: From tea seller to India's Prime Minister

The exit polls point to Narendra Modi occupying the PM seat. And the BJP can't stop beaming over seeing its efforts yielding fruits.

BJP president Rajnath Singh is all smiles as he realises that his decision to make Modi the prime ministerial candidate despite facing flak from veteran party members is going to pay off! If Modi does manage to clinch the nation's top post, then it would be another success story of a boy from humble beginnings making it big.

So what if the Congress wrote him off as a tea seller on trains, all the criticisms seems to have worked to Modi's advantage as voters have turned deaf ears to all the anti-Modi chants.

Remember how Modi used tea boy image to his advantage by holding Chai pe Charcha with voters? Perhaps, Modi's strategy is what needs special mention than anything else. No, we are not blind to his charisma. But it was not a rosy path for Modi to reach this far. What, however, Congress saw was threat was Modi's track record of consecutive terms as chief minister of Gujarat. Modi flashed his report card in all his political campaigns by citing the Gujarat model of development.

Add to that, his political discourses and pot shots at his opponents that made headlines and grabbed global attention. The popularity only soared forcing anti-Modi members within BJP, including LK Advani to finally fall in line.

The only stain on Modi's reputation was the Godhra Massacre. Ever since the tragedy, Modi's detractors name the unfortunate event to take a dig at Modi for being communal. If that was not enough, the Ayodhya temple issue figuring in the BJP manifesto too became a hotly debated topic in the political circles much to the disgust of BJP members. However, all is well now after an Ahmedabad court accepted a clean chit given to the Gujarat chief minister by a special investigation team appointed by the Apex Court. The verdict made many reconsider Modi's candidature.

Nowhere was the lobbying more aggresive than in Andhra Pradesh where every Telugu actor made a beeline for a rendevouz with the would be PM. Telugu Desam chief Chandrababu Naidu went one step ahead by giving his nod to a pre-poll pact with the BJP. And now, with the opinion poll results, Naidu has no regrets at all. Modi also got some free publicity through Jana Sena founder Pawan Kalyan who pledged his unconditional support to Modi.

The BJP's PM aspirant too did his bit to change his Hindutva hardliner image by promising voters to reach out to Muslim brothers. He also clarified that the contentious issues of Ram temple and Uniform Civil Code would be addressed within the Constitutional framework.

Modi also silenced his critics on the controversy surrounding his much-hidden marriage when he admitted to his marriage to Jashodaden when he filed his nomination. The bottom line is Narendra Modi had done his homework and how! The tech savvy also reached out to voters on his official Twitter handler He made India's conservative party match pace with changing times. Perhaps his master's degree in political science did come handy.

What more, even the once wary America too has stated today that they are game for Modi Sarkaar.