Shah holds roadshow in Patna

BJP national president Amit Shah Saturday held a roadshow in the Bihar capital, a party stronghold which is witnessing a clash of titans with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad locked in virtually a straight contest with Shatrughan Sinha, who seeks to retain the Patna Sahib seat on a Congress ticket.

The roadshow commenced from the Kadamuan locality of the city, a stones throw from the ancestral house of Sinha, who quit the BJP last month, at about 6.30 p m.

Perched atop an open vehicle with a saffron 'angavastram' around his neck, Shah was flanked by Prasad besides other senior BJP leaders like Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and waved at crowds which greeted him with chants of Bharat Mata ki jai and raised slogans in favor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

State BJP president Nityanand Rai stood behind Shah carrying a mike which he used to perk up the party workers marching on foot in the sweltering heat with slogans of Main bhi chowkidar.

Flower petals were showered and garlands were thrown at the vehicle from all sides as the leaders responded with a wave and greeted the people with folded hands.

People stood on both sides of the road, many of them carrying flags with the partys symbol the lotus - as the procession moved at snail speed criss-crossing narrow streets and covering a distance of about two kilometres towards its final point near the historic Gandhi Maidan.

Earlier, Sinha had spoken to a couple of news channels expressing displeasure over media reports quoting BJP sources that the starting point was chosen to show the actor-turned- politician his place.

I am the Bihari Babu. The son of the soil. How much the people of Patna love me is evident from the fact that in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections I won with the highest margin for any seat in Bihar. Their talks of showing me my aukaat and haisiyat (worth) will boomerang on them. The people will give them (BJP) a befitting reply on polling day, Sinha said.

Patna Sahib goes to the polls on May 19 in the seventh and final phase of Lok Sabha elections.