Mysuru: A day after city saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s massive rally at Maharaja’s College Grounds, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Supremo Mayawati addressed an election rally at the same venue at around 2 pm today.

Though today’s crowd  of over 15,000 people was far less when compared to Modi’s rally last evening where more than 1 lakh people had converged, the presence of 15,000 people conveyed the message that BSP has, over the years, emerged as a force to reckon with in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar regions.

Mayawati canvassed for BSP candidates Dr. B. Chandra (Mysuru-Kodagu) and Dr. Shivakumar (Chamarajanagar). According to the rally organisers, BSP’s support base is not confined to Kollegal in Chamarajanagar where N. Mahesh was elected as the MLA in the last Assembly elections. The party is slowly expanding its base outside Kollegal and has a strong presence in Mysuru, H.D. Kote, T. Narsipur and Varuna.

This is probably the reason why Mayawati addressed her only rally in Mysuru today. As Mayawati, dressed in yellow chudidhar arrived on stage, the crowd cheered and she responded by waving at the crowd. Rajya Sabha members Satish Chandra Misra and Dr. Ashok Siddhartha presented her with an elephant statue made of sandalwood. BSP State President Hariram and Mayasandra Muniyappa presented her a sandalwood garland.

In her address, the former Uttar Pradesh CM said that she was happy to see the crowd. “I know you are eager to send BSP candidates to the Parliament. So far you have seen the rule of both Congress and BJP and it is time to vote for BSP,” she said.

Alleging that the BJP has misruled the nation, she said that Congress was no better. “The promised Garibi Hatao by Congress and Ache Din by the BJP has not turned into reality and the poor have remained poor even after so many years,” she said. “Bahujan Samaj Party is the only hope for the masses, the poor, the oppressed and the downtrodden,” Mayawati added.

Before Mayawati addressed the rally, a 10 minute video “Aane Nadige, Parliament Kadege” (Elephant marches towards the Parliament) was played behind the stage. The video was prepared by BSP’s IT Cell. Giant cut-outs of Mayawati, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Tipu Sultan, late Kanshiram (Mayawati’s mentor) and Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar were erected at the front portion of the stage.

As Mayawati arrived on the stage, “Avataar Dance Team” from Chamarajanagar performed a dance for more than 15 minutes on “Vote Value” where over 40 dancers conveyed the message of how valuable a vote is. They urged the crowd to vote for the right candidate.