"Tremendous" response from minorities for Modi's rally: BJP

BJP has claimed that it has garnered "tremendous" response among various minority groups who have expressed their eagerness about attending Narendra Modi's rally here on Sunday.

"The response from minorities for Modi's rally is tremendous. Almost 25,000 or 25 per cent of the nearly one lakh people who have registered themselves for attending the rally belong to minority groups," state BJP spokesman Wilfred Mesquita told PTI last night.

BJP's social engineering helped it wrest power from Congress in the state in 2012 when the saffron outfit fielded a number of minority candidates and the gamble paid off.

Mesquita, a former revenue minister, said people wanted to be part of Modi's public meeting which will set the tone for campaigning in the coastal state for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Gujarat Chief Minister Modi is the party's prime ministerial candidate for the polls which are to be held later this year.

"It's not just about listening to Modi. That they can do at home by watching on television also. But here they want to be part of the political event," he said.

BJP is expecting about one lakh people to attend the rally, which organisers said was part of 100 such public meetings being organised across the country by the party in the run up to the general elections.

The organisers are charging Rs 5 per ticket for the event. Apart from the general public, BJP workers who wish to attend the rally, too, would have to pay for entry.

The rally, which is to be also attended by BJP President Rajnath Singh, is being held on an open ground located on the periphery of the city.

BJP's desk in-charge for Goa, Smriti Irani, has also launched an online portal for workers to register while Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is touring more than 15 constituencies to create awareness about the rally and mobilise participation.