Vice President-Elect Venkaiah Naidu Offers Prayers At Tirumala Shrine

Vice President-elect M Venkaiah Naidu today offered prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.

Mr Naidu arrived in Tirupati with his family members last night and stayed at a heavily guarded Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) guest house on the hills.

On his arrival at the shrine, he was accorded a warm welcome and conducted to the the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine by TTD Executive Officer AK Singhal and other top officials. He was in the shrine for about 20 minutes, temple sources told news agency PTI.

After praying at the Sri Ranganayaka Mandapam, the vice president-elect was honoured with the sacred silk cloth and holy prasadams by the management of the shrine.Later, speaking to reporters, Mr Naidu said, "I have become the vice president because of the love of the people of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and most importantly the blessings of Lord Venkateswara...to whom I have been offering worship since I was 13."

"After getting elected to the august post, I must be totally independent to maintain the dignity and decorum of the institution and do my responsibilities as per the constitution," he said.

"I am going to begin a new chapter in my life as the Vice President of India, which is totally apolitical," he added.

Mr Naidu said it is the beauty of democracy that being the son of a farmer, he has risen to the top post of the country.

He Later took part in a function at the Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences in Tirupati.