Jamshedpur: Narendra Modi addressed his first rally in Jamshedpur on Saturday after becoming the Prime Minister. And he had the mammoth crowd chanting his name.
The huge crowd, estimated to be over fifty thousand, at the city’s Gopal Maidan in the heart of thye city welcomed Mr Modi like a hero. The venue was packed to the brim with enthusiastic supporters who had travelled many hours from different parts of the state.
They had come in especially-arranged buses and had walked many miles to reach the Gopal Maidan. Many had made their own arrangements to come and listen to the PM.
The venue started filling up from the wee hours of the morning and by the time the Narendra Modi arrived around 11.30 am, there was not an inch of free space.
People had climbed onto roofs and terraces of high rise buildings adjoining the venue. They had even jumped onto the grills surrounding the venue. Though SPG protection made life a bit difficult for the hooligans.
Every corner was taken. And as Modi was walking up the stage, an enthusiastic horde crashed through the barricades and entered the media enclosure and the VIP area.
Chants of “Modi, Modi” filled the air, quite like the chants that rallied for Sachin at the Wankhade Stadium. The crowd latched onto every word Modi spoke, quite like cricket fans would delight at every stroke Sachin played.
Modi wanted a show of strength and he achieved that goal.
But the real test is to see if Modi can convert the surging crowds at the rally into voters during the assembly elections.