Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow on the busy Janpath road here this evening with massive crowds turning up to greet him.
He arrived here in the evening on a two-day visit. He will address election rallies in western Odisha on Saturday.
The nearly two-km-long roadshow of the Prime Minister began near Ram Mandir Square, the State BJP headquarters, and concluded at the Vani Vihar square.
The Prime Minister, who was seen standing on the footrest of the vehicle with a BJP camp on his head, waved back at the crowds, comprising a large number of men and women.
Shri Modi was accompanied by BJP MP candidate for Bhubaneswar, Aparajita Sarangi and State BJP President Manmohan Samal.
The roadshow has glimpses of Odia art, culture and tradition. While welcome arches of Konark-wheel, Khandagiri and other such monuments have been installed, around 150 women wearing Pasapalli saree also took part in the roadshow.
People confined behind barricades put up along the road raised slogans in favour of the BJP and waved party flags as PM Modi’s cavalcade traversed the stretch. mall children, women and elders lined the streets as the prime minister’s motorcade passed through. The crowd shouted slogans and showered flower petals.
Tight security arrangements have been beefed up at the stretch on Janpath, Bhubaneswar. More than 55 platoons of police force along with more than 200 officers have been deployed to provide security at the venue.
After the roadshow, party officials said the Prime Minister will make a night halt at Raj Bhawan. The next day he will address three public rallies – first in Kandhamal at 9.30 am, second in Balangir at 11.30 am and third in Bargarh at 1 pm.
The State will go for Assembly elections and Lok Sabha elections in four phases from May 13 to June 1, with vote counting scheduled for June 4.
In the 2019 Assembly election, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won 112 out of 146 seats, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 23 seats and Congress won 9.
