Where will the BJP CM take oath?

After almost zeroing in on Wankhede Stadium as the venue for the oath-taking ceremony, the BJP is now considering two other options

Soon after almost zeroing in on the Wankhede Stadium as the venue for the oath-taking ceremony of their chief minister, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now considering other options.

The BJP is considering options such as Wankhede Stadium (top) and MMRDA grounds at Bandra Kurla Complex (above) for the ceremony

Since the ceremony will be held in the city on what is likely to be a working day, the party is considering the Sardar Vallabhai Patel (SVP) stadium at Worli and the MMRDA grounds at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) to ease potential traffic woes. Since parking is expected to be an issue, too, the party is leaning toward the latter as the BKC ground is large, and even trucks and buses can be parked there with ease, said sources. The BJP, however, maintains that they haven’t finalised a venue yet. BJP Mumbai’s spokesperson, Niranjan Shetty, confirmed that venues apart from Wankhede stadium are being discussed for the oath-taking ceremony. “We are considering the BKC grounds and SVP Stadium. The oath- taking ceremony will be held on a working day, so we don’t want the locals to face traffic snarls if the ceremony takes place in south Mumbai,” said Shetty. He claimed that people from the across the state will attend the oath-taking ceremony and, hence, a number of trucks and buses will ply on the roads and need parking space eventually.

According to some senior leaders from the party, even the police officials of Mumbai told the BJP that handling traffic would be difficult in south Mumbai and suggested they look for alternate venues. However, Traffic Commissioner BK Upadhyay claimed that the police can handle the traffic in case the BJP opts for Wankhede stadium, but is yet to receive official intimation by the party or any other authority regarding the ceremony. According to sources in the party, the party is considering the SVP stadium just because PM Narendra Modi idolises Patel. The BKC grounds, on the other hand, are a way for the party to display its sheer strength through the numbers the venue can accommodate. “At the BKC grounds, we will have a chance to gather a large number of people. No one can be stopped from going to the grounds, no traffic issues will plague visitors. After the elections, we want to invite crowds more than this ground has ever seen,” said a senior BJP leader on condition of anonymity.

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