Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: No rest for the weary; straight from the electoral battlefield to the playing field! Having concluded the final-stretch battle to win Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was spotted in a completely different mood in Sikkim. On Tuesday morning, amidst the hilly terrain of Gangtok, he was seen playing football—complete with soccer boots—alongside a group of local youngsters. Following the conclusion of the high-voltage election campaign in Bengal, this 'footballer' avatar of the Prime Minister has sparked intense discussion among netizens on social media. Modi had arrived in Gangtok on Monday to attend the closing ceremony of Sikkim's 50th Statehood Day celebrations. On Tuesday morning, amidst pleasant weather, he played a full-fledged football match with a group of local teenagers, clad in full football gear. Sharing photographs of those moments on the field, the Prime Minister wrote: "Playing football on a beautiful morning in Gangtok with these young friends of mine from Sikkim was a unique joy! This football session with these youngsters truly infused me with new energy."
Notably, Modi had wrapped up his whirlwind campaign tour in West Bengal just this past Sunday. Upon arriving in Sikkim, however, his engagements were not limited solely to the sports field; he also spent a considerable amount of time conversing with Padma Award recipients and other distinguished personalities in Gangtok who have made significant contributions in various fields. According to political analysts, this image of the Prime Minister in such a relaxed and lighthearted mood—emerging just ahead of the second phase of voting—effectively conveys a message of his robust health and unwavering self-confidence.
