Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Karnataka's Mandya on Sunday morning, was accorded a rousing welcome as thousands lined up on either side of the street to cheer on him.
The crowd showered his motorcade with flowers and raised slogans during the roadshow. The Prime Minister himself was seen enthusiastically waving at the cheering crowd standing on the 'running board' of his moving car. He was also seen hurling the flowers back at the crowd. He also got out of his car and greeted folk artists who staged a performance in his welcome.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the 118-km long Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway project. The project involves a six-laning of the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta-Mysuru section of NH-275. The 118 Km long project has been developed at a total cost of around Rs 8,480 crores and will reduce the travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from around 3 hours to about 75 minutes.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said the double engine govt aims to repay the love of people in the form of 'vikas' in the state. He added that the farmers are getting double benefits under the double-engine govt in Karnataka.
His visit coincides with the Assembly elections due in May in the state. The BJP is leaving no stone unturned to win a good number of seats in the Old Mysuru region where it is traditionally weak. Mandya in the Old Mysuru region is a Vokkaliga community-dominated district, largely seen as a bastion of JD(S), where the Congress too is strong.
