Show of strength at BJP meet

MADURAI: The fifth state conference of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) turned out to be the show of strength it was envisioned to be. The two-day ‘Thamarai Sangamam’ began in grand manner in Madurai on Thursday.Around 45,000 people thronged the conference venue, with several walking at least 3km to get there.The huge main pandal of the event was surrounded by smaller pandals, featuring an exhibit on the party’s history and  a medical camp to screen for diabetes. There was also a large pandal for food to be prepared and served.Sources within the party hinted that the bAudget for the event was around Rs 15 crore, not including the cost involved in postponing the event from April 28 and 29 because of heavy rain.The crowd, typically for the BJP consisting of several families, watched the cultural programmes that had been arranged as fillers between the political events on stage. The crowds listened attentively to the speakers and frequently responded with applause and cheers of Bharat Mata Ki Jai.Party cadre arrived at Madurai from different parts of Tamil Nadu, with some even travelling from states such as Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.