Mangalore: BJP confident Modi will beat Sonia squarely

The BJP wants to ensure that the Mangalore rally is a show of strength, especially after a poor turn out for Sonia Gandhi’s rally, reports Vicky Nanjappa

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi who was in Bangalore on Sunday to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party will return to Karnataka to address a rally in Mangalore, a BJP stronghold.

The BJP wants to ensure that the Mangalore rally is a show of strength, especially after a poor turn out for Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s rally in the same city on Saturday.

Last year, Sonia Gandhi had attracted a crowd of 40,000 in Mangalore but this year the number came down by half.

Modi’s visit to Mangalore on May 2 is important for the BJP. The party and its workers were a bit down after the results in the Urban Local Body polls. The split in the BJP and former Karnataka CM Yeddyurappa breaking ties with the BJP have adversely affected the party.

BJP workers believe that Modi’s visit will change everything. The Gujarat CM will also address a campaign in Belgaum on the same day.

The BJP says the Mangalore rally will draw a large crowd and won’t be like Sonia’s rally where majority in the crowds were Congress workers.