MUMBAI: Narendra Modi’s election rally on Sunday drew both ardent admirers and clueless villagers , some of whom were only vaguely aware of someone called Ravindra Modi.

Despite the hype over the Gujarat CM’s ability to draw crowds, many in the audience were villagers whom the BJP had transported to Mumbai expressly for attending the rally. Entire trains were booked to bring them to Mumbai and cavalcades of buses booked to ferry them to railway stations. But despite the BJP’s preparations, the crowds were less than the party’s expectation—around 2.5 lakh, as per police estimates.

Not everyone in the audience knew of Modi. A few elderly women from Muktainagar in Jalgaon were a tad unsure of who he was, despite the fact that a badge with Modi’s picture was pinned to their blouse. They said they were at the rally because the BJP leader representing their area had asked them to attend.

A number of village women, seated on the ground in the front rows, began leaving the rally soon after Modi began his speech. They said they were tired and thirsty after sitting in the sun for five hours. They were immediately admonished by local party workers who assured this reporter that everybody was well taken care of with Modi’s blessings.

Those among the audience who knew why they were attending the rally had full faith that Modi is the one man who can battle corruption and bring down prices, two problems associated with the ruling party.

“We need him. We need dictatorship in India. He is a dictator who can fight corruption and lack of unity and discipline in the country,” said Vanshri Randive, a third-year college student.

Nitin Joshi, a municipal worker from Chembur, and Dinkar Pawar, a former mill worker, were equally confident of Modi’s ability to battle corruption. Asha Balavi, a BJP member from Nagpur, was once with Congress. She felt there was an awakening among people, and was convinced BJP will come to power in Maharashtra.

