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Delhi is 940 km from Gandhinagar. But for Narendra Modi, the Gujarat chief minister and the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) prime ministerial candidate, it might well be about 300,000 km away. Since February, he has clocked an average 2,500 km a day of campaigning across India.
It would be hard to say if Modi is not an insomniac. His daily routine for the past couple of months suggests he is. The alarm goes off at 4.30 am. The basic morning chores and an hour-long strict yoga routine prepares Modi for another day. "No matter when he goes to sleep, he wakes up at 4.30 am every day. Depending on the number of rallies, he could be going to bed as late as 1 am at times," says a Gujarat BJP member.
The police get busy by 6 am to clear traffic for the chief minister's convoy. Modi catches up on the news and emails before heading to the airport. At Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, three aircraft, a nine-seater Bombardier (CL600-2B), an eight-seater Beechcraft (Hawker 850XP) and a 13-seater Embraer (EMB 135-BJ), are waiting, engines running, to fly Modi to his day's rallies. The aircraft belong to Karnavati Aviation Pvt Ltd, an Adani Group company.
Modi schedules his departure depending on where he is going. "A rally in Rajasthan will see him leave by 10 am; that gives him time for other things. For West Bengal, he will leave as early as 6 or 7 am," says a party member.
He has travelled 300,000 km so far, addressing 437 rallies between September 15 and May 10. According to BJP, its prime ministerial candidate travelled 150,000 km between March 25 and April 30 and 50,000 km between May 1 and May 10. Sources at the Gandhinagar airport say Modi has flown an average 2,500 km a day since February. Barring a few days, Modi returned to Gandhinagar almost every night by around 11 pm. "Whatever rest is needed, he takes during flights, though even that is rare," says another party member.
Though Modi is not fussy about food, his team members ensure his day ends with a light Gujarati dinner. This mostly includes khichdi-kadhi (flavoured rice with buttermilk) or bhakhri-shaakh (Indian bread and vegetables). "He prefers non-spicy food. At times, he tries to catch up on breakfast mid-flight and lunch during rallies, but he insists on having his dinner at home," the member adds.
Modi maintains a daily diary, the latest compilation being Sakshi Bhaav.
A CAMPAIGN IN NUMBERS
437 Rallies addressed
5,827 Public events
300,000 km Travelled between Sep 15 and May 10
2,500 km Avg daily travel since Feb
25 States covered
