The BJP MLAs’ march on Sunday morning from the Mahatma Gandhi statue on M G Road to the Raj Bhavan, turned into an impromptu rally as thousands of party workers flocked the venue.

The rally was also a sample of what the political rhetoric is likely to be in the State in the coming days with the rallyists leaving no one in doubt who their primary target was- JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, for refusing to transfer power.

The mood was upbeat with the young and the old thronging the Mahatma Gandhi statue, a couple hours before 10:30 am when the march was scheduled to start.

Strength
Police estimates put the crowd strength at around 14,000. Rallyists, from the City and adjoining districts landed at the venue in whatever modes of transport they could. By 11:15 am the Queen’s Road stretch next to the M Chinnaswamy cricket stadium, was teeming with BJP activists.

Two vans parked right in the middle of the circle provided for a makeshift dais. With their leaders delayed, the rallyists squatted on the road and shouted slogans to vent out their ire at the duo, who they believed were responsible for denying their party a go at the power.

The entire stretch of Queen’s Road was blocked for nearly five hours from 11 am. The rally had its spillover effect on traffic movement on adjacent roads -  Cubbon Road, Kasturba Road, Raj Bhavan Road and roads adjoining M G Road.

On arrival, the BJP leaders garlanded the Gandhi statue and asked the crowd to wait till they return from the Raj Bhavan.

For the next one-and-a-half hours, second and lower rung leaders took over the megaphone, but the crowd preferred to remain buoyant by shouting the slogans against the JD (S) leaders.

Once the party bigwigs returned, the crowd turned silent and listened to them.