Free tickets & coupons on offer, women to pack stands today for World Cup opener | Cricket News

The stage is being set for an estimated 30,000-40,000 women from across Ahmedabad to watch for free the opening match of the cricket World Cup between defending champions England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium Thursday.
The BJP’s city ward-level network is mobilising women to pack the stands with local leaders dributing tickets and assuring complimentary coupons for tea and lunch.
Lalit Wadhawan, BJP vice-president of Bodakdev area, said the idea to bring women to the stadium was inspired the passage of the women’s reservation Bill in Parliament last month.
All 10 captains pose with the trophy. (PTI)
“Around 30,000 to 40,000 women from Ahmedabad will be watching the game in the stadium tomorrow. Our volunteers have been asked to send the names and tickets were handed to them today. Tickets upar se aaya hai (We got these tickets from the top). Kya hai na, 33 per cent women reservation Bill bhi pass hua hai (See, even the 33 per cent women’s reservation Bill has been passed). These women will be reaching the stadium on their own and will be given tea and food coupons,” Wadhawan told The Indian Express.
Asked if the party had made a special effort to mobilise women for the opening match, Gujarat BJP spokesperson Yamal Vyas said, “We have not made any effort at the party level for anything like that. If they (women) go in large numbers, fine. But the party is not making any special effort for that.”
The process of mass mobilisation had kicked off in the city a couple of days ago with BJP ward members asking their workers, through a WhatsApp message, to l the names of women from societies, apartments and their booth areas who were interested in watching the World Cup game. The message asked the workers to send the names and mobile numbers of the women to the assigned local leader.Most Read
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The BJP’s city ward-level network is mobilising women to pack the stands with local leaders dributing tickets and assuring complimentary coupons for tea and lunch.
“The passes will be valid only for women, who will be provided two tokens for tea, one for breakfast and one for a food packet. The workers had sent all the names 5 pm Monday,” stated a message that had been forwarded.
Meanwhile, the game between England and New Zealand, the teams involved in the thrilling World Cup final four years ago, has not been not sold out with the capacity of the largest cricket stadium in the world being more than 1.3 lakh.
A senior cricket official of the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) said, “Elsewhere, schoolchildren are invited to see the game since it fills up the stadium and builds an atmosphere. The only difference here is there will be women in the stands,” he said. Asked who had availed and paid for the tickets, the official declined comment.