A large number of excited people thronged roads, buildings and rooftops to get a glimpse of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who carried out a two-kilometre long road show at Indore on late Tuesday evening.
People showered flower petals and chanted ‘Modi, Modi’ slogans throughout the road show that began from Ganpati Square and ended at Rajwada.
After reaching the Rajwada, PM Modi garlanded the statue of Queen Devi Ahilyabai Holkar, who ruled the Maratha Empire for 28 years from 1767.
The PM stood atop an open jeep during the entire road show.
Wearing a BJP saffron Gandhi topi, a BJP scarf around his neck and the BJP symbol ‘lotus’ on his waistcoat, the PM waved and accepted greetings from the people who waved BJP flags.
The entire corridor of the roadshow was coloured saffron and all the houses and shops along the road show were illuminated in Diwali lightings.
The mammoth crowd of people included Muslim men and women and people from all walks of life. People displayed photos of Modi along with sketches of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya with PM Modi with folded hands and Jai Shree Ram written on it.
Besides the public, at least three politicians and diplomats from foreign countries also reached Indore today to watch the PM’s road show and BJP campaign.
One of the foreign dignitaries from Tanzania, Bazil M Lyakinana, said that India and Tanzania have good relations politically, socially and economically.
“Our expectation is to learn how the BJP conducts their campaigns and elections so that we can also share the same relationship in our country,” said Mr Lyakinana, who is the Minister Plenipotentiary (Consular Services) at the Tanzania High Commission in New Delhi, according to the High Commission’s website.
A politician from Australia and a woman politician from Japan, both of whom spoke fluent Hindi, unanimously said that PM Modi is an extremely popular and important leader not only in their respective countries but also across the globe.
They pointed out that their aim today was to witness and understand how the BJP contests elections and how the saffron party and its candidates conduct their campaigning and election rallies.
Only MP unit BJP President Vishnu Dutt Sharma stood alongside the PM atop the road show vehicle. Neither MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan nor any of the BJP candidates from Indore including BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijaywargiya, was seen with the PM during the roadshow vehicle.
Today was the penultimate day of campaigning for the 230 seats in the MP Assembly polls and voting will take place on November 17.