Amit Shah's roadshow gathers Bengalureans in display of unity; Tejasvi Surya thanks Modi for opportunity
BJP national president Amit Shah flew to Bengaluru from Tamil Nadu after completing a campaign for state BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan and BJP leader H Raja. His road show in Bengaluru gathered a massive crowd on Tuesday night (April 2).
Bengaluru: BJP national president Amit Shah held a massive road show on Tuesday night (April 2), campaigning for the party candidate Tejasvi Surya in Bangalore South, signifying the importance attached to retaining its traditional stronghold for decades.
Shah flew to Bengaluru from Tamil Nadu only for the roadshow, which was a show of unity by the city unit as there were rumblings of protest to the candidature of political greenhorn Surya, who was preferred over former union minister Ananth Kumar's widow Tejaswini Ananth Kumar.
Hundreds of enthusiastic BJP workers cheered Shah chanting "Modi, Modi" as the "Rath", a modified vehicle, covered a little more than a kilometer distance with state unit party chief BS Yeddyurappa, Tejasvi Surya, legislators from Bangalore South constituency and newly appointed state vice-president Tejaswini Ananth Kumar accompanying him.
Hours before the road show, Tejaswini was appointed as the BJP state unit vice-president in an apparent placatory move after denying her the ticket to contest from Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency, which Ananth Kumar had represented for six terms.
The show began from Banashankari temple and concluded near a convention hall at JP Nagar, with thousands of people gathered all along the route.
Soon after the roadshow, Shah left for New Delhi.
Tejaswini's attendance gave the roadshow a boost, much to the delight of her supporters who were angry after she was denied the ticket.
She has been active in public life through her non-profit organisation Adamya Chetana.
After the roadshow, Tejasvi thanked all the BJP leaders in the city who stood behind him during troubling times and further thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving the young candidate an opportunity to contest the elections. He also reiterated that BJP was the only party which could provide tickets for young candidates, recognising their merit and allowing them to grow.