BENGALURU: Despite forecast of rain by the Met department for Friday, the Congress is prepared for its mega protest against alleged ‘vote theft’, scheduled to be held at a newly built but yet-to-be-inaugurated protest venue inside Freedom Park.
This special protest arena, constructed by BBMP but not formally opened yet, is being used for the first time. It has a seating capacity for 25,000 people, and space for an additional 15,000 standing attendees. Congress leaders say they are expecting a turnout of up to 1 lakh people from across Karnataka, with some insiders even estimating a crowd of 2 lakh.
Minister and local MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao, in whose constituency the venue is located, told reporters, “This space has never been used for any programme till now. It has a massive solar-panelled roof that can generate power and offers complete shelter from the rain.”
Bengaluru is experiencing heavy monsoon showers, and Congress leaders are banking on the pucca roof to ensure the protest is not disrupted.
Since the venue has not yet been officially inaugurated by the BBMP, no rental fee or usage charges have been fixed so far. The Congress got access to the space in time for what it is calling a “people’s movement to reclaim democracy”. The Congress is hoping for a strong show of public support at Freedom Park on Friday. Rao said there is a lot of parking space and additional arrangements for parking will also be made.