Modi winds up two-day whirlwind election tour of Karnataka by holding mega roadshow in Mysuru

PTI, May 1, 2023, 8:18 AM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a mega roadshow in Mysuru, winding up his whirlwind two-day campaign tour of Karnataka during which he addressed six public rallies.

In what appeared to be a rerun of sorts of the popular ‘Jambu Savari’ witnessed on the last day of the annual Mysuru Dasara, the Prime Minister’s roadshow passed through various parts of the city.

Modi flew into the heritage city from Beluru in Hassan district this evening after addressing his third public meeting of the day in the state and mounted on a specially designed vehicle. Flanked by Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, former ministers K S Eshwarappa and S A Ramadas, the Prime Minister wore the traditional Mysuru ‘Peta’ and a saffron shawl.

He waved at the large number of people who had gathered on both sides of the road. Eshwarappa recently announced retirement from electoral politics, while sitting MLA Ramadas was denied ticket to contest in the May 10 Assembly elections. A cultural troupe of men and women in traditional attire walked all along the road. While men wore ‘Peta’ and ‘Kurta’, women were in attire resembling that of Bharatanatyam dancers. BJP flags, festoons and the Prime Minister’s posters and cutouts dotted the roads. Amid the fanfare surrounding the roadshow, there was a brief scare when a mobile phone was thrown by a woman, said to be a BJP worker, towards PM Modi who was standing in the vehicle.

The incident happened when the Prime Minister was waving at people gathered on the road as the vehicle traversed the city. The mobile phone landed on the bonnet of the vehicle after it was flung by the woman and this did not go unnoticed by the Prime Minister who indicated about the object to the Special Protection Group (SPG) sleuths responsible for Modi’s security during public events.

The phone was hurled out of ”excitement” by a woman BJP worker who had no ”ill intention”, according to police. ”The Prime Minister was under the protection of the SPG. The lady (whose phone fell on PM’s vehicle) was a BJP worker. The SPG people returned it to her later,” Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), Alok Kumar told PTI.

”In the excitement (of the event), it was thrown and she had no (ill) intention but we are trying to trace the lady because the phone was handed over to her by the SPG sleuths,” he added. Modi held public meetings at Humnabad in Bidar district, district headquarter town of Vijayapura, Kudachi in Belagavi district and a roadshow in Bengaluru on Saturday. On Sunday, he addressed election rallies in Kolar city, Channapatna in Ramanagara district and Belur in Hassan district culminating with the roadshow here. The ruling BJP is pulling out all stops to retain power in the state which is seen as a gateway to the south for the saffron party. It is locked in a tussle with the opposition Congress and the JD(S).

Karnataka votes on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13.