Massive preparations for Narendra Modi`s Jhansi rally

Zee Media Bureau

Jhansi: The main opposition party, BJP, has worked overtime to accord a warm and stupendous welcome to its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to address a rally at Government Inter College ground here on Friday. According to reports, the venue for Modi`s rally has a capacity to hold around one lakh people, however, party leaders expect a turnout of over two lakh people to hear the Gujarat Chief Minister. For the past week, around 200 labourers have been working round the clock to set things in order. A 40 ft X 80 ft platform has been erected for at least 20 persons, including senior leaders like Rajnath Singh and Kalyan Singh to share the dais with Modi. The ground has been divided into sixteen blocks to arrange seats for 40,000 persons. The rest would be seated on ground. Apart from this, huge LED screens have been set up in the grounds of around half-a-dozen banquet ground around the college to relay the proceedings. Party MLA from Jhansi Ravi Sharma said, "The ground had turned into a mini-pool following the rain. We had to drain out the water to dry the ground, which was a tedious job." "It will be an historical rally in the history of Bundelkhand after independence," he added. Reports also claim that the party has spent approximately Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 crore on the rally. Meanwhile, the entire administration is on its toes and working overtime to ensure foolproof security arrangement. The administration fears that the situation could spiral out of control if the number of audience surpasses the capacity of the ground. However, organizers claimed that the ground is being managed in such a manner that it would easily accommodate around two lakh spectators. Another matter of concern for the administration is that the rally venue is situated on the Gwalior highway. BJP`s senior leadership has also left nothing for chances. A senior leader has been visiting the ground daily to take stock of the situation. On Tuesday, the party`s state president Laxmikant Bajpayi took stock of the preparations. On Monday, party president Rajnath Singh`s son Pankaj Singh had visited the rally spot. Later, he flagged off a rally to urge youth to turn up in large number to hear Modi. `Singh visited Bundelkhand University and met students. During the meeting, he faced a barrage of questions from students who were eager to know about BJP`s stand on corruption and inflation. State head of BJP`s women`s wing Kamlawati Singh also visited Jhansi and said 20,000 women would attend the rally. With PTI inputs