Bengaluru/IBNS: In a bid to fight the anti-incumbency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday held a roadshow in Mandya - a region which has been the stronghold of its rival Janata Dal (Secular) or JDS ahead of the election due later this year.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is banking on PM Modi's popularity to win votes in Mandya, which is one among the nine districts of the Old Mysore Region that includes Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Ramanagara, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, and Hassan districts.

The Old Mysore Region, with 61 assembly seats, is a stronghold of the JDS. Congress too has been a major force in the area.

The roadshow is seen as BJP's big push to retain power.

This is Prime Minister's sixth visit to the state in less than two months, which will go to the polls in May this year.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stones of projects worth around Rs. 16,000 crores in Mandya and Hubballi-Dharwad districts.

While in Mandya, at around 12 noon, the Prime Minister will dedicate and lay the foundation stone of key road projects.

At around 3:15 pm, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development initiatives in Hubbali-Dharwad.

Prime Minister Modi will then inaugurate the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, which is a six-lane project of the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta-Mysuru section of NH-275.

The 118 km long project has been developed at a total cost of around Rs. 8,480 crores and is expected to reduce the travel time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from around three hours to about 75 minutes.