BENGALURU : With just four days left for the big day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took out a massive 26-kilometre roadshow in Bengaluru in an effort to reach out to voters and win as many seats as possible for the BJP in the state capital. The roadshow affected vehicular movement including public transport while commercial activities were hit as shops were shut till the roadshow concluded.
The BJP, which termed the roadshow a historic one, estimated that around eight lakh people witnessed it. Modi, who arrived at Someshwara Bhavan in JP Nagar in South Bengaluru, the starting point of the roadshow, was welcomed by BJP MPs PC Mohan and Tejasvi Surya.
Wearing the traditional saffron-coloured ‘Mysuru Peta’, he hopped on to an open vehicle to begin the roadshow that passed through parts of the city, covering 13 of the 28 assembly constituencies in Bengaluru.
Throughout the show, an energetic Modi kept waving at people who had queued up to catch his glimpse. There was a festive mood throughout the route with folk troupes performing traditional art forms. BJP workers ensured that flower petals were supplied to the public.
While BJP had organised a large number of workers for the roadshow, the general public outnumbered the party workers. Thousands of people participated with their entire families. Children were seen wearing masks printed with Modi’s face, holding his posters and paintings while others carried his cut-outs.
A huge statue of Lord Hanuman was mounted on a vehicle at Sirsi Circle and people were also dressed up as Hanuman, Rama and Lakshmana while people also wore shirts on which it was printed ‘I am Bajrangi’, chanting ‘Jai Bajrang Bali’.
Not just on roads, people witnessed the roadshow from the terraces, balconies and windows of their residences. However, the police had taken utmost care that a large number of people did not stand on balconies and terraces due to security reasons. Modi, after the roadshow, tweeted, “It is clear Bengaluru wants BJP. This city believes that our party will continue delivering on good governance and development.”