Puducherry: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a grand roadshow here on Friday and sought support for the AINRC-BJP alliance in the April 9 election to the territorial Assembly.
The Prime Minister, flanked by AINRC founder leader Chief Minister N Rangasamy and BJP leader, Home Minister A Namassivayam, held his roadshow between the Ajanta signal point and the Kamarajar statue/Raja theatre signal, a distance of less than 2 km, and it took nearly an hour for the show to conclude.
Earlier, on his arrival, he was accorded a rousing welcome by the BJP workers amid chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’. As the prime minister’s open campaign vehicle slowly moved on, he waved at the people, and they showered flowers on him and his campaign vehicle.
The roadshow was staged just days before Puducherry’s April 9 polls, with Modi joined by CM N Rangasamy and senior NDA leaders. The alliance is contesting 26 seats, with the AINRC fielding candidates in 16, the BJP in 10, and allies AIADMK and LJK in two each. The Congress-DMK alliance remains the key opponent in a contest drawing significant public attention.
During the campaign, Modi reiterated his ‘BEST’ mantra—Business, Education, Spirituality, Tourism—as a growth roadmap for Puducherry, saying it resonated with youth. He urged workers to adopt the slogan ‘Mera Booth, Sabse Mazboot’, conduct door-to-door outreach, and inform voters of NDA achievements, particularly in women’s safety and welfare. Modi criticised the Congress-DMK alliance for prioritising dynastic politics over governance, framing the contest as ‘Puducherry First’ versus ‘Family First’.
In the lead-up to the roadshow, Modi interacted with BJP workers in Puducherry, focusing on booth-level mobilisation and targeted outreach to women and tourism-linked voters. He highlighted initiatives such as the Lakhpati Didi campaign, visa reforms, and improved connectivity to boost tourism. The roadshow served as a prominent public event in this campaign phase, aimed at turning grassroots engagement into voter support.
