Lok Sabha polls 2019: Low turnout forces K Chandrasekhar Rao to cancel rally

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s, public meeting at LB Stadium on Friday evening, which was going to be his first in the city for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, was cancelled due to the lack of sufficient number of people at the venue. TRS leaders were shocked with the small gathering as they were expecting large crowds.

According to the schedule, Mr Rao was to address the meeting at 5 pm. However, even after 6:30 pm, there was barely any crowd at the venue.

TRS sources said that Mr Rao inquired with TRS leaders about the response at the stadium after addressing a mammoth gathering at Miryalguda.

The Chief Minister reached the Begumpet airport from Miryalguda by helicopter at around 7:30 pm and again inquired about the crowd. When the leaders told him that the turnout was low, he cancelled the meeting and left for home. TRS leaders claimed that not many people showed up as most of them preferred to go to watch the IPL match being played in the city.

The TRS leaders also cited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s programme at Mahbubnagar earlier in the day as one of the reasons for the poor show at Mr Rao’s meeting venue.

Minister Mr T. Srinivas Yadav and other leaders who were at the stadium had begun to formally address the small gathering. However, as soon as the audience learned that Mr Rao was not coming, they began to disperse.

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