Prime Minister Narendra Modi with RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in Saifai (ANI photo)
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to the stage at the lavish pre-wedding ceremony of parliamentarian Tej Pratap Yadav in Uttar Pradesh's Saifai, the attendees erupted in cheers. Mr Yadav is the grand-nephew of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav; he is marrying Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's youngest daughter, Raj Laxmi.
The Prime Minister walked on to the stage, hand-in-hand with his political arch-rival, to attend the Tilak ceremony, a pre-wedding ritual.
The bonhomie between the two leaders was apparent. Mr Singh draped a shawl around the PM and both waved to the crowd; Mr Modi also shared a warm handshake with the RJD chief.
PM Modi sat between Lalu and Mulayam as the priest conducted the 'Tilak' ceremony, and showered petals on the groom along with the other members of the groom's family.
A beaming Akhilesh, son of Mulayam Singh Yadav and the state's Chief Minister, sat close by. After spending nearly 15 minutes on stage, the Prime Minister left with the Yadavs for a local guest house.
The all-vegetarian fare served at the event included regional specialties like Matthe ke Aloo and Kashifal.
Superstar Amitabh Bachchan also attended the ceremony; other high-profile visitors included Bihar Governor Kesri Nath Tripathi, UP Governor Ram Naik, and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh.
In fact, a section of the venue was cordoned off, with flower-studded railings, for the 'most VVIP guests'.
Conspicuous by his absence from the main ceremony was senior party leader Azam Khan, who happens to be a staunch crtitic of PM Modi.
The party, however, sought to downplay his absence; "Maybe he will come later", said Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary.
While simplicity was not really the theme of the wedding, political grandstanding may just have been its subtext.
The Prime Minister's visit comes just before the start of the crucial Budget Session in Parliament. The PM may be looking to avoid a repeat of the last Parliament session, when a united opposition cornered the government and stalled various pieces of legislation.
The central government is expected to try its best to pass at least eight crucial ordinances, including the ones on coal mining and land acquisition, in this session.