<p align="justify">The BJP is on an overdrive ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bengaluru on Sunday, leaving no stone unturned in reaching out to software professionals, who form the party's core urban support base.</p>.<p align="justify">More than 10,000 techies have registered to attend Modi's rally at Palace Grounds, and the party cadre has been carrying out registration drives outside tech parks and malls. A separate enclosure has been made for techies at the venue, with a seating capacity of about 5,000. The party hopes to cash in on Modi's popularity among urban voters.</p>.<p align="justify">"Registration drives were conducted outside the International Tech Park Bangalore (IPTB), Manyata Tech Park, Ecospace, Phoenix and Mantri malls. We have crossed 15,000 registrations, online and offline," Karnataka BJP's social media cell convenor Balaji Srinivas said.</p>.<p align="justify">The techie community has traditionally supported the BJP, Srinivas. "The techie community played a big role in the BJP's victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. So, the party's association with this community has always been there," he added.</p>.<p align="justify">The effort to get as many software professionals as possible is being helmed by the BJP leader Aravind Limbavali, who represents the Mahadevapura constituency, which houses the city's software nervecentre.</p>.<p align="justify">The venue has been decked up for the prime minister's rally, with elaborate arrangements - 20 LED screens, a mini hospital, 250 urinals and 75 e-toilets, 250 food counters and so on. BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa inspected the arrangements on Friday.</p>.<p align="justify">More than 100 volunteers, all IT professionals, have been roped in to popularise Modi's visit. They will work towards making the hashtags #ModiInBengaluru and #WeekendWithModi trend on Twitter. "The volunteers will take time between their work to volunteer," Srinivas said.</p>.<p align="justify">Those who have registered online have been classified constituency-wise and personalised invitations are being sent to them.</p>.<p align="justify">To counter Modi's much-anticipated rally, the Congress is pushing out a digital campaign with hashtags #ModiLies, on the Union Budget 'disappointing' the salaried middle-class, and #RajasthanRejectsModi, on the BJP's defeat in the Rajasthan bypolls.</p>.<p align="justify">The BJP expects 3-4 lakh people to show up at Modi's rally. Preempting possible attempts by the state government to scuttle the rally by preventing people from reaching the venue, coupled with a bandh call given by pro-Kannada outfits over the Mahady issue, the BJP will hire only private buses to ferry attendees.</p>
<p align="justify">The BJP is on an overdrive ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bengaluru on Sunday, leaving no stone unturned in reaching out to software professionals, who form the party's core urban support base.</p>.<p align="justify">More than 10,000 techies have registered to attend Modi's rally at Palace Grounds, and the party cadre has been carrying out registration drives outside tech parks and malls. A separate enclosure has been made for techies at the venue, with a seating capacity of about 5,000. The party hopes to cash in on Modi's popularity among urban voters.</p>.<p align="justify">"Registration drives were conducted outside the International Tech Park Bangalore (IPTB), Manyata Tech Park, Ecospace, Phoenix and Mantri malls. We have crossed 15,000 registrations, online and offline," Karnataka BJP's social media cell convenor Balaji Srinivas said.</p>.<p align="justify">The techie community has traditionally supported the BJP, Srinivas. "The techie community played a big role in the BJP's victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. So, the party's association with this community has always been there," he added.</p>.<p align="justify">The effort to get as many software professionals as possible is being helmed by the BJP leader Aravind Limbavali, who represents the Mahadevapura constituency, which houses the city's software nervecentre.</p>.<p align="justify">The venue has been decked up for the prime minister's rally, with elaborate arrangements - 20 LED screens, a mini hospital, 250 urinals and 75 e-toilets, 250 food counters and so on. BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa inspected the arrangements on Friday.</p>.<p align="justify">More than 100 volunteers, all IT professionals, have been roped in to popularise Modi's visit. They will work towards making the hashtags #ModiInBengaluru and #WeekendWithModi trend on Twitter. "The volunteers will take time between their work to volunteer," Srinivas said.</p>.<p align="justify">Those who have registered online have been classified constituency-wise and personalised invitations are being sent to them.</p>.<p align="justify">To counter Modi's much-anticipated rally, the Congress is pushing out a digital campaign with hashtags #ModiLies, on the Union Budget 'disappointing' the salaried middle-class, and #RajasthanRejectsModi, on the BJP's defeat in the Rajasthan bypolls.</p>.<p align="justify">The BJP expects 3-4 lakh people to show up at Modi's rally. Preempting possible attempts by the state government to scuttle the rally by preventing people from reaching the venue, coupled with a bandh call given by pro-Kannada outfits over the Mahady issue, the BJP will hire only private buses to ferry attendees.</p>
