Traffic snarls were reported from several parts of the city due to BJP's event in Mumbai
BJP's mega rally in the heart of Mumbai attended by tens of thousands of people to mark the ruling party's foundation day on Friday slowed down traffic in large parts of the city and contributed to massive jams, especially on arterial Western Express Highway between Andheri and Bandra, The BJP meeting, expected to be attended by about 3 lakh party workers from across the state, were to be brought in special trains and thousands of buses.
News agency Press Trust of India reported that several trains also arrived late after BJP workers, ferried in special services for the party's rally at BKC, insisted on unscheduled halts along the route.
This is the second day that the ruling party's event, also seen as a grand show of strength, has led to massive jams on the city's roads.
BJP workers had yesterday organised a bike rally to welcome BJP president Amit Shah to the state, bringing traffic to a standstill on the arterial Western Express Highway, a road that connects the Mumbai's western suburbs to the city.
Of the many who took five hours to travel from the film city to Juhu a trip that ordinarily takes 30 minutes, was megastar Amitabh Bachchan.
When asked about the inconvenience that the BJP's events had caused in the city, BJP president Amit Shah said "this is why we began the event by asking Mumbaikars to forgive us".
Public meetings organised by other political parties have also led to similar traffic congestion in the past too.
But many Mumbaikars had hoped that the protesting farmers, who had recently walked all night to ensure that they didn't inconvenience residents particularly students, would become a template for similar political events.