PALAKKAD: Giving a boost to BJP’s election campaign in Kerala, Prime Minister Narendra Modi captivated the party workers with a majestic roadshow in Palakkad on Tuesday. The Lok Sabha polls set to be held in the state on April 26.
The BJP supporters welcomed him chanting ‘Bharat Matha Ki Jai’ and ‘Modi Ji Ki Jai’, and showering flower petals and holding Modi placards, making for a spectacle the district had never witnessed before. Some of them also greeted the prime minister by shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ when he reached the starting point of the roadshow at Anchu Vilakku, near the Palakkad Fort.
Travelling in an open vehicle, Modi greeted party workers who had waited for over three hours braving the scorching heat to catch a glimpse of their favourite leader. Though the 600-metre roadshow — from Anchu Vilakku to the Palakkad Head Post Office — was delayed by more than half an hour, it did not spoil the enthusiasm of the supporters, who turned up in large numbers on either side of the road from 6.30am. Scheduled to begin at 10am, it eventually began around 10.40am.
The BJP supporters’ excitement soared the moment they caught a glimpse of Modi’s helicopter flying over the Court Road around 10.20am to the helipad arranged at the Mercy College ground. Modi was accompanied in the open vehicle by BJP state president K Surendran, Palakkad Lok Sabha candidate C Krishnakumar, and Ponnani candidate Nivedhitha Subramanian.
From children to the elderly, people of all ages turned up for the roadshow.
“I had been trying to see Narendra Modi for a long time. Although he had visited before, I was unable to see him up close due to my health condition. Now that I have almost recovered, I decided not to miss this opportunity. Since I anticipated big crowds along the stretch, I arrived at Court Road around 6.45am. I am happy as my long-time wish has finally been fulfilled,” said Chandrika, who attended the roadshow along with her two children.
Another resident, Ganesh S said Modi’s back-to-back campaigns and the increasing support from the public clearly show that the party is able to gain support through the welfare projects of the Central government.
The roadshow — which witnessed participation from over 25,000 people, approximately, from different parts of the district — ended in front of the Head Post Office around 11.20am. He returned around 11.55am by a chopper from Mercy College.
The roadshow was Modi’s second such event in five days in Kerala, following up on the one held at Pathanamthitta last Friday. He has already visited the state twice in January, once in February.
Addressing the gathering in Pathanamthitta, the Prime Minister had said that "The Lotus is going to bloom in Kerala" in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and attacked the ruling Left and the opposition Congress-led UDF, alleging that the people of the state have endured hardship under governments plagued by corruption and incompetence.
The BJP has seen an increase in its vote share from the Palakkad constituency in the Lok Sabha polls with its candidate Krishnakumar C securing 21.24 per cent of the total votes polled from here in the 2019 general elections.
(With inputs from PTI)