Hanuman mantra at PM roadshow, ahead of uphill Bengaluru climb

With Modi lending his weight to the accelerated Hindutva push of the BJP ahead of election day, the party is hoping the PM’s roadshow on Saturday —and another planned on Sunday — will give it a much-needed boost in the Bengaluru Urban region that accounts for as many as 28 Assembly seats.
The BJP has been sliding here, and its tally of 11 of 28 in 2018 was lower than 17 in 2008 and 12 in 2013. Its hope this time of at least 22 seats rests to a large extent on the appeal of Modi overriding anti-incumbency.

A local BJP leader said the party has been hamstrung in Bengaluru Urban due to factors such as maladministration and the lack of a strong leadership. “We expect PM Modi’s roadshows to be a gamechanger.”

Saturday’s roadshow, originally scheduled to wrap up in an hour but eventually stretching to two-and-a-half hours, covered over 15 Assembly constituencies.

The Opposition accused the BJP of inconveniencing the public due to the restrictions imposed to facilitate the PM’s roadshow through a city known for its bad traffic.

Earlier, the BJP had dropped a plan for a long roadshow by the PM through Bengaluru lasting almost all of Sunday, and split it over two days.

Worries have been expressed over the impact of the roadshow on students appearing for NEET examination on Sunday. The Karnataka Private School Managements, Teaching and Non-Teaching Staff Coordination Committee had urged the Election Commission to either postpone the exam or direct Sunday’s rally to the outskirts.

JD(S) leader and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy accused the BJP of “playing with the future of students”.

Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh posted a video of an ambulance purportedly stuck in a jam caused by the roadshow, tweeting: “Ambu-lances stuck, chaos on road!”

After the roadshow, Modi addressed a mega rally in Badami constituency, where he attacked former Congress chief minister Siddaramaiah, who last time got elected from the seat. “If any development has taken place here, it is because of the double-engine government… Or why would Siddaramaiah have abandoned you and fled to another seat (Varuna)?” Modi said.

Repeating late Congress leader and former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s remark that only 15 paise of every rupee allotted by the Centre reached the intended beneficiary, Modi said: “Which was the palm that took away 85 paise?… This is how the Congress works.”