40,000 register for Modi's reception at Silicon Valley

Over 40,000 people have signed up to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to Indian-Americans in Silicon Valley on September 27, surpassing the 30,000 registrations at last year's Madison Square Garden reception for him in New York. With about a month still to go, organisers of the event hope that the number could cross 50,000, a record in itself.

By last night when registration process for members of 500 community organisations concluded, officials of organising Indo-American Community of West Coast told PTI that more than 40,000 people had registered for the September 27 event. With individual registration process for those who are not members of any community organisations being part of the reception kicking off in the next few days, organisers said they expect the total number of registrations to cross 50,000.

"This is a phenomenal response. It's simply Modi Magic," Vijay Chauthaiwale, in charge, foreign relations department of BJP, who is currently in Silicon Valley on a short visit to review the preparations, told PTI. Notably some 30,000 people had registered for the Madison Square Garden reception in New York last September where Modi was given a rock star reception.

As a result of the huge response, after the individual registration process ends, organisers would be conducting a computerised draw of lots to determine who all would be receiving the free tickets for what would be the first ever public address to the Indian-Americans in West Coast. Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit California after Morarji Desai in 1978. Jawahar Lal Nehru was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the West Coast.

"Everyone who registers through the website till the last day of the registration process would be eligible for the computerized draw of lots," said Khande Rao Kand, convener of the Indo American Community of West Coast.