Scanty numbers blow whistle on Modi wave myth

The ruling party expected several thousands of people to greet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his rally, but that wasn’t the case

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his roadshow on Sunday as part of his two-day visit to Bengaluru ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled for May 10.

He began the day with a floral tribute to a statue of Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bengaluru, and passed through a few Assembly constituencies, before culminating the several kilometres canvasing at Trinity Circle here. However, the number of people who turned up to greet the PM was below what the party expected. While a large number of people did gather at the Kempegowda statue, the attendance was less in the rest of the areas.

Flowers, saffron cloth and BJP flags were palpable in all stretches the PM’s rally was planned to be held in. But, there were a limited number of people. Bharatiya Janata Party leaders of the State had claimed that the twoday roadshow of the PM would see a very high attendance. Only a few have gathered at Trinity Circle, despite it being a Sunday when mass is held in Trinity Church situated at the junction.

“Large crowds that were expected were missing. In fact, the place wears a deserted look. People probably preferred to stay indoors and enjoy a quiet day with their families,” said Suresh, a local. While the BJP claimed the roadshow was successful, the Congress said it was a failure.

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Sunday shared pictures of the PM’s roadshow and called it a “flop show”. He substantiated his claim with pictures showing “only a few people at Modi’s rally”. A BJP supporter, who “came early to Trinity Circle to get a close look at the PM”, told News Trial that he expected people to be thronging the venue, but that wasn’t the case. “I am disappointed,” he said.