A majority of people will have to pay up to get a glimpse of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi during a public rally at Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on February 5.

Those looking forward to be seated closest to the platform from where Modi will address the rally, will have to get their seats booked online. The bookings will open January 3 —- the day the state
party leadership will decide on the amount of fee for the seats.

“We will earmark seats for the young people and will exhort them to book
their seats. We are targeting people in the age group of 18 to 25. The rally will attract lakhs of people,” Rahul Sinha, state BJP chief, told.

The BJP had put an entry fee to attend a Modi rally for the first time at a public meeting in Hyderabad some months back. It is also planning to charge Rs
5 from those intending to attend Modi’s Goa rally on January 12.

In Kolkata, the party has already begun preparing for the rally. “We have planned 100 rallies and street meetings in the state in January to prepare for Modi’s rally. We have a target of bringing in at least 1 lakh people,” Shamik Bhattacharya, party state general secretary, said.